


The Rise of Izuku

by SlythindorRen



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra, 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Avatar & Benders Setting, Alternate Universe - Canon, Avatar Midoriya Izuku, Crossover, Gen, Midoriya Izuku Has Bending, Midoriya Izuku Has One for All Quirk, OC Centered Story, OC plays active role, Quirkless Midoriya Izuku
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-26
Updated: 2021-03-06
Packaged: 2021-03-12 12:34:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 23
Words: 97,881
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29010615
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SlythindorRen/pseuds/SlythindorRen
Summary: Izuku was diagnosed as quirkless, but it wasn't the end of his dream to be a hero for him. Sena, who experienced the end of an era and the dawn of a new one, provides the key to his dreams. With her help and the help of OFA, Izuku just may have the power to put a stop to the man who sought to destroy them. AU, no ships at the moment but there may be later ones.
Relationships: Ashido Mina & Midoriya Izuku, Bakugou Katsuki & Midoriya Izuku, Iida Tenya & Midoriya Izuku & Uraraka Ochako, Kaminari Denki & Midoriya Izuku, Midoriya Izuku & Todoroki Shouto, Midoriya Izuku & Yagi Toshinori | All Might
Comments: 20
Kudos: 53





	1. The Setting Sun

**Author's Note:**

> Hey all! This is my first time posting on AO3 so apologies in case anything goes wrong! I'm from the fanfiction website but it's been a little wonky lately so I decided to post the story up here as well, just in case anything went weird. Anyway, enough of my rambling, I hope you all enjoy!

Avatar Sena was dying.

The waterbending avatar knew it was bound to happen eventually, but she didn't think she'd die at the young age of 21. Every other Avatar that had come before her had at least made it to 30, Avatar Korra being the only one to make it to nearly 90 years old, but from what she knew about her predecessor-Avatar Korra must have been too stubborn to die. However, it was to be expected that she would face an early demise when she had been born into such a turbulent time as she had been. Around 30 years before her birth there had been an appearance of what the world now called quirks. These quirks weren't the same as bending, the main difference between the two being that the quirks were vastly different from the elements. For a while, the benders and the few quirk users in existence lived in relative harmony-and then the source of her death came.

A man named All For One. In a way, it nearly reminded her of the way that Firelord Sozin had been the death of the Air Nomads and nearly lead them to extinction if she was remembering what Avatar Leodis (the Avatar directly before her that had died at the age of 65 in his sleep) had told her correctly. The appearance of All For One had occurred with the mass genocide of benders. They had already been so few in numbers, fewer people inheriting the bending ability in the generations after Avatar Korra's death. As far as Sena knew, she was the last bender in the world and even she was about to die.

"Sena!" A shout broke her from her thoughts, her blurry eyes locking on the approaching figure. All For One had left the area long ago, leaving her broken body slumped against a rock among the smoldering ruins. She had been weak, and she had failed. She had only become a fully realized Avatar about 7 months ago, and even with the generations of Avatars backing her-she wasn't enough. Raavaa wasn't enough to stop the destruction. Hot tears began sliding down her face as the figure slid to his knees in front of her, grabbing her hands. She could barely feel the calloused palms beneath her fingertips, could barely see the panicked face in front of her.

"Aiko...where are my glasses?" The man before her let out a laugh that sounded more like a sob as he became the only thing still grounding her to this world. She could feel her heart slowing, could feel Raava slowly loosening from her soul. The spirit was surprisingly quiet at the moment that Sena had thought that it would be speaking the most.

"You're going to be fine Sena, and afterward we'll get you a new pair." He carded his hand through her unruly black hair, the mess of silken curls matted to her skull by her blood. As a master waterbender as well as a master healer, she knew when someone was a lost cause; and she was most certainly one. She had lost too much blood despite her efforts to bend it back into her body, she was too exhausted to do anything more and All For One had made sure that she had no access to water-hence the reason why he set the entire place ablaze. Her blue eyes gazed into violet ones-eyes that had attracted her instantly when she looked into them all those years ago.

"There won't be an afterward Aiko, you know that if your brother is anything-it's thorough." She gave the man a bloody smile ignoring his look of horror. She tilted her head to the sky that was a bright blue despite the tragedy that had taken place under its gaze. It would have been more fitting if the sky had been red or cloudy-but she couldn't ask for too much after all. Shigaraki Aiko shook his head and grasped her hand tighter, not saying a word but his trembling hand said everything to her. "Do you think we'll meet again? In a later life?" She left the fact that there would be no later lives for her out. There were no more benders in the world, and no more benders meant no more Avatar. Before he could answer her question, Raava herself spoke.

 _You will meet him again in his quirk's 9th lifetime. We will slumber Sena, and we will rise_. The spirit had been more in tune with the avatars ever since the events of harmonic convergence, and rather than fading into the background as she did during the Era of Wan, she made sure that every avatar knew her in the Era of Korra. Raava's interjection brought peace to her soul and a true smile graced her face. _We will be one once more_ they thought in unison. Tilting her darkening gaze toward Aiko, she forced her body upwards-struggling hard not to let the gasp of pain leave her lips as she forced her arms to cooperate. She wrapped the bloody appendages around her best friend, leaning her head into his chest to hear the familiar heartbeat one last time. If she pretended hard enough, she could imagine that they were just laying down to sleep, his arms wrapped around her as she stuck her cold feet against his leg just to annoy him since he knew she was able to regulate her temperature with her fire bending.

"I know we will, Sena. Wait for me until then okay?" She could barely manage a nod, her eyes slipping shut as the spirit world beckoned for her. Ever so slowly, her arms fell from around his body until they hit the ground with a thud, the violet-eyed man holding her lifeless body close. He made no noise as hot tears streamed down his face. He went to close his eyes when the area around him was suddenly illuminated by a bright light. A white kite-shaped spirit with blue designs floated in front of him. From the descriptions given to him by Sena, he already knew who it was. "Raava." The spirit said nothing, and though it had no eyes, Aiko felt as though Raava was piercing his soul.

"Human. Do not despair for all is not lost. You will be united again at the 9th. We will become one." His brows furrowed in confusion only to turn into shock as the spirit dissipated. "Farewell."

"Raava, wait! What do you mean at the 9th? Raava!" His questions went unanswered as the spirit was already gone. Looking down at the body of the woman he loved, he couldn't help but brush a lock of hair out of her face as he pondered what the spirit said-confusion replacing the grief for the current moment.

It would only be years later as he laid on the barren ground gasping for breath, a gaping wound in his chest from where his elder brother had become furious and lashed out at him. His dearest student kneeled next to him, tears running down the 16-year-old boy's face, blood staining his hands-a mixture of his master's and his own.

"Aiko-Sensei, you can't leave me." The boy's sobs stabbed his heart as his mind went back to that fateful day, and in an instant, he could see himself sitting where Eizo was and Sena laying in the same position that Aiko was. The black-haired man inhaled shakily and grasped the younger boy's trembling hand. He could nearly see Raava as the information appeared in his head, and suddenly he _knew_.

"Eizo-kun, I'll never leave you. I'll be with you in your lifetime and the next." The sniveling boy stopped and stared down at him with wide hazel eyes.

"Sensei-?" He started only to freeze at the golden light that passed through their linked hands. Aiko looked at him and gave him a bloody smile-the same smile that Sena had given him years before as if knowing something that he didn't know.

"Use it to grow stronger kid, and pass it on to the next. We will not rest until _he_ is gone, even-even if it takes a thousand lifetimes." In his mind's eye, he saw flashes of people. An old man with an impressive beard wearing robes of flame, a bald man with a blue tattoo, a teenager with hair that fell into his eyes, a buff woman with bands of blue and a high ponytail-dozens of people passed through until it stopped and slowed on an image of a 5'4 woman with unruly black curls pulled back, piercing blue eyes, and a lopsided smirk appeared. She reached her hand out and Aiko grabbed it, a wisp of gold leaving his body as his quirk started his version of the Avatar cycle. Eizo closed his eyes and hunched over, whispering one last prayer for his master as he slid the glassy violet orbs shut. He rose to his feet and looked in the direction that he knew All For One's base to be, lips curling back as he glared in that direction.

 _We will defeat him Sensei._ He swore. _Whether it be in this life or the next_.

* * *

Izuku was having a really bad day. He was nearly 5 years old and his quirk still hadn't shown. Even though he still had time-everyone had already convinced themselves that he would never get his quirk. The doctor had said it himself, he had two joints that quirk users had evolved not to have. Izuku didn't believe that that meant that he couldn't have a quirk-but everyone else did. The kids at school, the teachers, Kacchan-even his Kaa-san believed that he didn't have a quirk.

He thinks that that was what hurt the most-which led to his current predicament. He had been playing with Kacchan and Kacchan's friends in the woods and they had gotten into another argument over his apparent lack of a quirk. Kacchan had laughed at him and threatened him with the sparks that would eventually grow to be explosions, and his friends had all joined in. They laughed even harder when the tears that Izuku had desperately tried to keep back began sliding down his face.

 _What a baby!_ They had chanted. _What a Deku! Baby Deku crying by a tree, Baby Deku as quirkless as can be!_ Izuku could only take so much before he snapped, turning around and running deep into the forest as he sobbed. He had eventually stopped running which led to him sobbing harder as he now realized that he was lost. The sun had set at this point, the temperature dropping as the heat source disappeared. He was tired and miserable, all he wanted was to go home and be in bed with his Kaa-San.

"Maybe I am just a stupid Deku." The 4-year-old mumbled to himself, wrapping his arms around his shivering body. He pulled his knees to his chest as he sat against a tree on the forest floor, staring at his red mud-covered sneakers. He had wanted to be a hero so bad, but maybe Kaa-san and Kacchan were right.

_I'm so sorry Izu!_

_You're nothing but a worthless Deku!_

Maybe he couldn't be a hero.

"Hey, kid. You in there?" He looked up, his eyes widening in a startled expression as he made direct eye contact with a glowing lady that had blue eyes. They stared at each other in comical silence for a moment before Izuku let out a loud scream and scrambled backward, yelping in pain as his head slammed into a tree. "Geez kid, be careful, you might knock yourself out."

The momentary pain disappeared and turned into confusion as he stared at the lady who was in front of him. His Kaa-san had told him to be wary of strangers-but her quirk looked so _cool_. Izuku had never seen someone who could make themselves look like a spirit-and his quirk nerdiness overtook his need for safety as he moved forward to stare at her. They engaged in another staring contest before he opened his mouth wide and started spewing questions.

"Who are you? What's your quirk? Does it make you glow? Why do you look like a spirit? Why are you in the forest?" He would have kept going had a hand not reached out and pinched his lips together. They both looked at each other in surprise with the ghost woman letting go after a moment.

"Huh, I didn't think that would work." She ignored all of his questions and tilted her head to the side, a mass of curls bouncing as they followed the movement of her head. "What's your name kid?" Izuku debated about telling her, but she seemed nice and she wouldn't be a stranger anymore if they knew each other's names...right?

"Midoriya Izuku." He stuck out his hand like how his Kaa-san showed him, a bright smile crossing his lips as her hand wrapped around his tiny one. A soft smile crossed her face as she introduced herself as well.

"I'm Sena. What're you doing in the forest Midoriya? Lost?" Tears pooled in his eyes as he suddenly thought of the reason why he was in the dark forest instead of at home, and before he knew it he was sobbing again as he nodded fiercely. Sena leaned forward and patted his head before telling him to wipe his eyes. He hiccuped as he did so, smearing mud across his face.

"I'm going to tell you one thing kid-people suck. You can't affect how much other people suck, and so you can only focus on making yourself suck less." The phrase didn't mean anything to Izuku, it honestly confused him but the thought that she was trying to cheer him up warmed his soul. He nodded and slowly stopped sniffling. "Now get up, I'll take you home. I bet your mom is worried."

Later that night after Inko worried over him, scolded him, and cried all in the same breath- Izuku laid in bed, tucked into his All Might comforter, staring at the ceiling thinking about the lady he had met in the forest. She had seemed strangely familiar to him-almost as if he had met her before today which was impossible. But still, he thought as sleep claimed his body-he hoped he would meet her again.

* * *

He ended up meeting Sena again 4 years later after he nearly drowned. The rain season had just ended and Izuku had found his way to yet another villain fight to watch both the villain and the hero use their quirk. This particular fight had taken place on a bridge directly over one of the only rivers in his town, one that had the habit of having a strong current, especially after monsoon time. His notebook had been on display (Hero Analysis for the Future #5) as his pencil scraped across it as fast as he could. He had his head down so that he could focus on his notes in one moment, the next the crowd surged backward as a sharp gust of wind from the villain attacked the crowd. They let out screams and scattered, Izuku being pushed each and every way until he was sent falling over the edge of the bridge, his screams intermingling with the crowds, and plunged into the unforgiving river below. He had thrashed and gasped as he surfaced for air, only to get pulled back under. The current pulled him deeper and deeper under the surface, his movements beginning to slow as bubbles left his mouth. His eyes slowly slid shut, his viridian hair floating upwards.

_Midoriya._

_Midoriya-_

_Izuku!_

Like a light had switched, his normally viridian eyes flew open-his irises and pupils gone, overtaken by a white glow. His body moved on instinct, spinning around in a sharp circle with his arms held out as the water responded to his call. He shot out of the water surrounded by a funnel of it, hair waving from the breeze that his water tornado created. He swept his arms upward, the funnel disappearing and turning into a wave that carried him to shore. The glowing gaze died down and darkness overtook Izuku's vision, a glowing figure leaning into his face as he drifted into blissful unconsciousness.

He awoke what felt like hours later but was actually only minutes, his entire body aching and his clothes were soaking wet. He let out a soft groan and was content to lay there for a moment and he would have had a hand not suddenly come out of nowhere and cracked his skull.

"Ow!" He surged upwards only to let out a shriek when he was met with the face of a furious woman. He tilted his head, wondering why she looked so familiar to him when it clicked and he surged forward, wrapping his arms around her. "Sena! You came back." The forever 21-year-old stared down at the 8-year-old wrapped in her arms and let her scowl slowly fade.

"Tch. Dear Tui and La, do you have a death wish kid? Why is it that I always find you in dangerous situations?" Izuku smiled sheepishly at her, suddenly getting distracted as a random thought popped into his head.

"Did you save me from the river? I kinda remember being lifted out by the water…" He trailed off and frowned as a sudden wistful look overtook Sena's face. The blue-eyed girl shook her head, forcing a smile onto her visage.

"Nah, I can't do that anymore. That was all you!"

"Huh?! What do you mean that was me?" He looked down, twisting his fingers into his shirt as he wrung the bottom of it out. His viridian locks shadowed equally viridian eyes as he mumbled in a low voice, hoping she wouldn't hear him. "It couldn't have been me, Sena, I'm quirkless."

"Well, duh." The woman's tactless response made his heart clenched and then he looked up in confusion. Before he could speak, Sena sat down next to him with her legs crossed, her eyes staring out at the horizon. "Let me tell you a story, Midoriya." She told him about everything, though she kept a few details out of it, mainly about All For One. Sena may be connected to Izuku, but she was unusual in the way that she was able to exist outside of her successor without him actively wishing it or it being a special occasion. Maybe she had a quirk in life that could only be activated in death, she didn't know-but All For One had been dealt with for the moment by Aiko's successor-his 8th successor. She didn't know who the 9th would be, but if Raava was right-she had a feeling.

Either way, she refused to ruin Izuku's childhood innocence by telling him about the man that murdered her. Instead, she spoke about the good times. She told him about traveling around the world with her friends when she was 16 and learning to become the Avatar. Told him about how she was awful with firebending and would have preferred not to use it at all-she kept it lighthearted and tried to keep the wistfulness out of her tone.

And then she told him how they were connected and told him that he was to be the next Avatar.


	2. The Glen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Izuku and Sena train (totally not used to doing a chapter summary, yikes)

The house was silent as the sun rose. Wisps of sunlight streamed through the slight crack between the blue and red blackout curtains that framed the windows, illuminating a mess of curls that peaked above the equally blue and red sheets. To the outside observer, the freckled-faced teenager was the epitome of calm as he slept soundly. However, his mind was the complete opposite as he seemingly fought for his life.

Two figures crashed into each other, one going forward with a flurry of kicks and spins while the other one was forced to constantly defend and block. The broccoli haired boy bobbed and weaved as his Sensei seemed intent on pummeling him to dust. The sharp-witted woman fainted with a right roundhouse kick, and Izuku fell for her faint. He shifted his guard to the right, noticing a moment later that he made a mistake as the kick stopped short of his body and his Sensei used her momentum to spin in the opposite direction and launch a nasty back kick into his stomach. He heaved as the force of the motion sent him careening backward, a hand darting forward and clutching his shirt. He glanced at the mahogany-colored hand that was decorated with little scars and then up into the wild sea-blue eyes that sparkled with mischief. He closed his eyes and resigned himself to his fate as the hand holding him up let him go and he fell flat on his back.

"Aha! My 1027th win!" He watched with a soft smile as the grown child jumped up and pumped her fists into the air.

"I don't think it's been that many times Sena-sensei." He swung his right arm up and interlocked hands with the one that had been shoved into his face, allowing himself to be dragged to his feet. He dusted himself off even though he didn't have to, noticing Sena do the same.

"Of course it hasn't been Izuku, you silly boy. It's been 1045. I was just trying to spare your feelings." She smacked his back and laughed, moving away from him to perch herself on a nearby purple tree. He walked after her, plopping himself in a crisscross formation directly under her, eyes skimming their immediate surroundings. No matter how many times he had been there, the sight always took his breath away. They sat amid a grassy green clearing in the middle of a forest. The trees around them weren't the color of the trees in the human world, mostly bearing different shades of purple, though most of them neared the shade of violet. Some trees were different shades of blue as well, and though he hadn't been near any of them-he could swear that the branches were made of ice. Little creatures flitted around them, some shaped like butterflies while others appeared to be floating rabbits. A lot more of them bore different shapes, and he figured out long ago not to ask what they were lest they got offended. To their right just past a clump of trees sat a sparkling blue waterfall that ran down into a lake, the top of the waterfall covered with snow. This was Sena's safe space, she had told him. Not quite in the spirit world, but neither in the mortal realm. It was to this place Izuku had come for the last four years to train, Sena having refused to train the boy until he was in the double digits. "You're progressing well on your air bending. You won't be able to fully master it as you did with earthbending, same with water until you fully learn fire. Sorry about that kid." Sena rubbed the back of her head, allowing her bangs to cover her eyes as she struck a blow to her pride. Even though she had eventually mastered firebending, it had taken her years and even in the end she never fully grasped it as easily as she did the other elements. Besides her lack of prowess in the art of fire, it was also the one element that Izuku couldn't practice.

Despite Sena's area not being located in the spirit world, it was close enough to follow the same restrictions of bending not being possible. Any forms that Izuku learned from Sena were learned in his sleep 4 days out of the week and then put into practice early in the morning when he first woke up, and later in the day after he got away from his prison that was called school. He only trained 4 days out of the week because Sena was insistent on him getting his rest, and the one time he overworked himself she refused to show him any new forms for a week, instead making him rep the most tedious exercise ever- the hot squat. After that slip up he learned the consequences of overworking himself and never did it again.

"And I thought I told you to cut it with the Sensei crap!" She gave him a sharp glare over the rims of her clear glasses. The first time she had shown up wearing them, Izuku had laughed at her as it finally all made sense to him why she was one of the clumsiest spirits that he had known, even though he didn't know a lot of them.

"Sorry, Sena." He gave her a small smile, rising to his feet as he felt the sun rising higher in the sky. For some reason, he was more in tune with the sun than Sena thought he should be seeing as though his main element was supposed to be Earth. He mused that maybe it had something to do with his father's quirk since his father could breathe fire. Sena had never mentioned it again after Izuku had gone on a 35-minute mumble spree about it. "And don't worry about the fire thing, I know every element enough for it to truly pass as my quirk so that's all that matters for now right?" Sena gave him a slight nod as he stretched out his back.

* * *

_**Name: Izuku Midoriya** _

_**Quirk: Elemental** _

_**Ability: Izuku is able to exert control over all 4 elements of nature, earth, fire, air, and water. The extent is unknown, though it seems to be minor to mid-range control.** _

_**Extra Note: Midoriya is an extremely late bloomer, developing part of his quirk at 10 years old, one of the first on record to develop a quirk despite having an extra joint. The first case seen years ago see archive R.T95** _

* * *

"For once, you're right, Wannabe Hero-kun." She ignored Izuku's sputtering as she reclined in the tree, closing her eyes. "Get outta here kid, you've gotta get ready for school. I'll see you again the night after tomorrow, I need a recharge. Try not to die alright?" She heard Izuku confirm that he had no plans to die, wished him goodbye, and only opened her eyes after she knew he was gone. A grimace crossed her lips as she allowed her form to waver slightly. It was taking a lot more energy for her to constantly stay in his plane of existence, especially since Raava was bonded with him now. The older he got, the closer he got to mastering the elements, the more the spirit world called for her to come back and replenish her strength. She knew that she was an anomaly, none of the avatars before her had ever been able to do something like what she was doing. It made sense since none of them ever had to guide the avatar as closely as she did. They were more in the habit of letting their successors work things out for themselves, but Sena couldn't entirely do that due to the situation she was in.

If another reason for that was that she was close to her brat and regarded him as a kid brother, well, no one ever had to know that part.

 _Still_ she thought with another grimace as her form suddenly wavered. The call from the spirit world was almost too strong to ignore, and the thought of that worried her. She didn't know how much time she had left to teach Izuku personally before the spirits decided he would be fine on his own and have to start his own journey and make his own way through life. As she disappeared back to the spirit world, she only hoped that when she told him he wouldn't take it too hard.

* * *

Izuku rose from his slumber feeling surprisingly well-rested even though he had mentally spent the better part of the night sparring with Sena. He went through his normal morning meditation in which he sat on the balcony for a half hour and simply felt Agni refreshing him with the rays of sunshine as well as focused on his inner fire.

_Inhale._

_Exhale._

_Grow._

_Diminish._

_Repeat_. This particular method of mediation was one of Izuku's favorites as it allowed him to feel connected to his waterbending as well, drifting down a stream and letting the tide take him where it wanted. Instead of a stream though, he was a campfire whose purpose was to bring warmth and not destruction, to grow and to diminish. He always came out of this meditation exercise feeling lighter than before, and it always helped when he slid through the forms for each of his elements. When doing so fresh after meditation, he allowed his mind to wander about anything. He wondered if there would be a villain attack today as there hadn't been one in his area for a few weeks now. He was getting antsy in anticipation of a good fight in order to study quirks, but his mom had forbidden him from going too far to search them out after he ended up in an entirely different town. After his exercises, he went inside to shower and get ready for the day.

"Okaa-san, I'm heading to school!" The 14 year old shouted as he made his way to the door. He listened to his mother's shout of goodbye and love you, waving at her even though she couldn't see it from her position at the kitchen table. He took off towards the train station, though he was interrupted by the villain attack where would make her debut. His eyes widened with glee as he pushed his way to the front, knowing it would be his lucky day.

It wouldn't be, but it would be the day that changed everything.


	3. Change

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Izuku isn't attacked by the sludge villain and doesn't meet All Might before the sludge incident, will he still be considered worthy?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, I hope everyone is doing well! Remember to drink some water and hydrate, take a moment to yourself and just breathe! You'll be okay, you're amazing and I'm proud of you!

" _Kacchan!" His eyes locked on the figure in front of him, locked on the familiar ash blonde hair. Emerald eyes met ruby ones filled with fear, and though he wasn't Kacchan's friend anymore, Kacchan would always be his. His eyes flared white for a moment and before he knew it, his legs were moving and he was charging past the heroes yelling for him to stop. He didn't hear the crowd screaming, didn't hear the sludge user roaring, all he heard was the screaming of his own heart for him to save Kacchan. He had never actually used the elements in battle, but there was a first time for everything. Sliding to a stop, Izuku remembered his notes from Hero Analysis for the Future #13, a burnt and water-stained book, page 25 Kamui Woods section. He slung his pack over his shoulder and slammed it forward, a notebook flying out and slamming into the monster's eye. It let out a bellowing roar that Izuku didn't hear, his hair rising up as he moved_.

"Oh yeah, Midoriya you're going for U.A too right?" The sudden silence in the classroom lasted for all of 10 seconds before the students began roaring in laughter. The tips of Izuku's ears reddened and he had never before been more glad that his hair was long enough to completely cover them. He kept his eyes firmly trained on the desk as his teacher allowed his peers to make fun of him.

"Oi, Midoriya going to U.A? I didn't know that they let delusional idiots in the building."

"Haha he still thinks he has a quirk, doesn't he? He should be evaluated." All these things were things that he's heard before but that didn't mean that it didn't hurt. His fists clenched beneath his desk as his hair shadowed his eyes. Had it not been for Sena's training, he wouldn't have reacted in time as an exploding fist came slamming down on his desk, aiming to land right on top of his notebook. His hand darted out and snatched it away as he rocked back in his chair, barely catching himself as he hooked his feet around the legs of his chair.

"Hah, shitty Deku in U.A? They don't let quirkless losers in there Deku!" In an alternate universe, Izuku would argue until he was blue in the face that he could be the first quirkless person accepted to U.A, however in this one he simply raised his chin and stared Kacchan directly in the eyes. It was a technique that he had learned from Sena and even though it sent his anxiety up and caused adrenaline to fill his veins, he forced himself to do it; his talk with Sena years ago at the forefront of his mind.

" _Izu? What's wrong?" The spiritual form of Sena appeared next to the sobbing 10-year-old hidden in the shadows of a nearby park. She had heard Izuku cry in a lot of ways, but this wasn't like any of his normal cries. It was something that came directly from their shared soul. The boy didn't say anything, merely turning towards her and clutching her shirt, the last shirt she had ever put on in her life. It was a black t-shirt with the words 'Water you looking at?' it had been a gag gift from Aiko, he had never expected it to love it the way she did. Never expected her to die in it either, but she bet a lot of people would change their outfits if they found out that's what they were going to die in. She had the option of appearing to Izuku in her formal water tribe regalia, but she never felt the urge to do so. Focusing her attention back on the crying boy, she swore that she saw a flash of blonde out of the corner of her eye. Before she could focus on it more, all the while cursing herself for not wearing her glasses, Izuku finally spoke._

" _I don't think I actually have a quirk, Sena. The kids at school call me the quirkless Deku and say I'm delusional when I tell them I actually have a quirk. Am I delusional Sena?" Big watery green eyes stared at her and she felt her nonexistent heartstrings tug. She opened her mouth, closed it, and opened it again-_

" _Yes." She slammed it shut and had she been alive her umber skin would have been flushed a bright red. She closed her eyes and sighed to protect herself from the sight of the hurt in Izuku's eyes and hurriedly started speaking again. "No, I didn't mean it like that Izuku-listen kid. You don't have a quirk, that's true technically speaking. You have something that no one else on this earth has anymore Izu, you have bending. Sure there are people with elemental quirks that can control fire, water, earth, and air yes-but none of them will ever have the connection to the elements that you do. No one will ever be able to hear the air sing, no one will ever be able to listen to the vibrations of the earth. No one will ever be able to hear the song of the sea, and they won't be able to feel the warmth of Agni himself. You're unique Izu. There's nothing wrong with that. And even if you were quirkless, so what? You'd still find a way to become the best hero that this world has ever seen. I know it." She opened her eyes after spewing out her word vomit only to find Izuku silently sobbing this time. She bit her lip hands hovering awkwardly over his head as he suddenly surged forward, slamming into her body so hard that she felt her tentative connection waver. He was speaking too low for her to hear, but she could have sworn she heard him say 'Thank You'. She ruffled his hair and then pulled away from him, a maniacal gleam entering her eyes as she spoke_

" _You need to start standing up for yourself Izuku. Bullies prey on the weak you know. We'll start your bending training next week, and then when you learn earth bending you can topple rocks down on them and end them." Izuku scooted back as the scary aura warped around Sena, but he suddenly was back in her space again causing the aura to dissipate as he startled her back into existence._

" _You're gonna teach me earthbending? Sena-sensei!" The boy wailed before clutching her again._

The memory brought a smile to his face, and while he wasn't going to topple any boulders on anyone anytime soon, he could at least take that first step in standing up for himself. "I'm not a loser Kacchan. And even if I was quirkless I would still try for U.A." An uncustomary hint of steel in his tone backed Izuku's declaration, causing Katsuki's eyes to narrow in irritation. An all-out fight probably would have broken out had the teacher not suddenly called for everyone's attention and began the lesson. After class, just as he did in another life Kacchan burnt and threw his Hero Analysis notebook out of the window, only this time he didn't tell Izuku to jump off the roof. He snarled at him and whipped around, storming out of the room with his cronies. Letting out a sigh, Izuku glanced both ways to make sure no one was looking and jumped out of the window. A gust of air cushioned his fall and he landed on his feet near the koi pond. Instead of reaching in, he slid through a familiar stance that just focused on arm movement, raising the water and causing the book to float to him on a bubble of it. Once he had the book in his possession, he bent the water out of the book and back into the koi pond. Despite his efforts, he let out a large sigh as the book still appeared to be water damaged.

"Stupid Kacchan." He stared up at the sky for a moment and shook his head, turning to walk home in a different direction than he normally went. As such, he avoided the underpass where he would have been attacked by the sludge villain and unintentionally avoided meeting All Might. The one change had started a butterfly effect in that the sludge villain still had his full power as he had not been caught by All Might. "He's always such a jerk." Izuku kicked a pebble hard, sending it skipping down the roadway. He was just about to kick another one when a giant explosion rocked the air. He found himself following the sounds, eager to see what villains had appeared and what hero would appear to counter them. He had his notebook open, flipped to the page right next to Mt Lady's debut as he forced his way through the crowd, muttering excuse me's and pardon me's left and right. He came to a stop next to a random man who was explaining the situation to someone else.

"The villain has a hostage, the heroes are waiting for someone with a more suitable quirk to come. It was a villain that All Might was chasing."

"All Might?" Izuku tuned out the rest of the conversation, forcing himself not to squeal at the thought of All Might being in town. He hoped that a hero with an appropriate quirk would be here soon to help the hostage. He allowed his eyes to roam over the destruction, finally coming to a stop on the villain, a gasp escaping his lips and his notebook slipping from his hand in shock. "Kid, you ok?" The man who was explaining placed his hand on Izuku's shoulder and Izuku pushed it off taking a few halting steps forward, hoping he was just seeing things.

It was another explosion followed by the reveal of an ash blonde boy wearing the same uniform as Izuku that made him scream, nearly all of the eyes in the crowd rotating towards him, including the sunken eyes of a skeletal like blonde man with unkempt hair and two limp bangs.

"Kacchan!" His eyes locked on the figure in front of him, locked on the familiar ash blonde hair. Emerald eyes met ruby ones filled with fear, and though he wasn't Kacchan's friend anymore, Kacchan would always be his. His eyes flared white for a moment and before he knew it, his legs were moving and he was charging past the heroes yelling for him to stop. He didn't hear the crowd screaming, didn't hear the sludge user roaring, all he heard was the screaming of his own heart for him to save Kacchan. He had never actually used the elements in battle, but there was a first time for everything. Sliding to a stop, Izuku remembered his notes from Hero Analysis for the Future #13, a burnt and water-stained book, page 25 Kamui Woods section. He slung his pack over his shoulder and slammed it forward, a notebook flying out and slamming into the monster's eye. It let out a bellowing roar that Izuku didn't hear, his hair rising up as he moved. He threw himself to the side as a rope of slime blasted out at him, dodging two of them but missing a third that slammed into him and sent him flying back. He flipped backward and slammed his feet into the earth, punching forward with his arms causing two pillars of the earth to spiral forward and slam into the disgusting smelling villain. Though it didn't injure him, it was enough of a shock to allow Bakugou to gasp for breath and inhale the oxygen greedily.

"What're you doing Deku!" The explosion user yelled at the fledgling Avatar. A sharp gasp escaped Izuku's lips as he twisted, barely able to dodge another whip of sludge.

"You looked like you needed help, Kacchan!" A haze of white threatened to overtake Izuku's vision but he forced it back. He had to know that he was able to do things on his own without the Avatar State, and he didn't dare unleash it with all of the bystanders that were around. Pushing away that trail of thought, Izuku moved entirely on autopilot. He crouched down and spun the air around him in a move that would appear as specifically a waterbending move to anyone who knew about bending. He launched himself forward, pushing the air forward as hard as he could towards Kacchan. The moment that he felt it latch around the boy, he twisted in mid-air and yanked his arms backward. This had two effects, it yanked Katsuki out of the sludge villain making Izuku's efforts a success.

It also sent Katuski flying into Izuku and causing them both to slam into the ground.

"How dare you interfere with me, meat sack! I'll just have to make both of you a rotten corpse!" Izuku tried to move to his feet, unable to as the unconscious Katsuki pinned him to the ground. Sound finally returned to him as the crowds yelling turned from shouts of victory to screams of horror.

In the background, the skeletal man began to steam.

Viridian eyes began to close as the slime villain rushed towards them, only catch a glimpse of red and blue as the villain was halted by the scream of

" **DETRIOT SMASH!"** _All….Might._ Izuku thought as his emerald eyes slid shut. A hush descended over the crowd as the clouds churned and it began to rain.

* * *

Izuku strolled forward with his hands in his pockets, head held high as he did so. After both he and Katsuki had regained consciousness, Izuku was immediately chewed out for being so stupid and praised in the same breath for his wonderful quirk. He couldn't help but spare a glance at Kacchan, immediately averting his eyes as he saw the threat of death that lingered in the ruby red ones.

"DEKUUUUUU" He jumped and resisted the urge to flip his oldest friend as Katsuki's fists bunched themselves in his shirt, shaking Izuku like he was a rag doll. "Where did you get that quirk huh? You've been looking down on me Shitty Nerd?" The scent of burning fabric wafted into Izuku's nose as he squawked and waved his hands frantically.

"No Kacchan that's not it, I swear, I told you I had a quirk! I was just really bad at controlling it and quirk laws and-"

"Shut up Deku." He was tossed roughly onto the ground, red eyes glaring down at him. For a moment, he could have sworn he saw respect in the blonde's eyes, but then it was gone and replaced with indifference. "With a quirk like that, you better get into U.A you piece of shit. And I didn't need your help, so next time fuck off." With those parting words, the explosion user took off, leaving Izuku staring at him with wide eyes. _Did Kacchan just compliment me-_

" **I AM HERE!"** Izuku squawked for the second time that day, jumping up startled as he stared at the Number 1 Hero. " **WHAT IS YOUR NAME YOUNG MAN?"**

 _Oh my Tui and La, DID ALL MIGHT JUST ASK FOR MY NAME!_ He inwardly streaked but his time with Sena had taught him to remain calm in the face of most things. Thankfully, this had been one of them.

"I-I'm Midoriya Izuku, All Might. B-but why are you here? You were surrounded by the press and-"

" **I ESCAPED THEM HA-** ha" All Might had shrunk down to his normal form, blood spewing from his lips as he did so. Izuku stared at him for a moment with a quivering lip, trying hard to stick to Sena's training but as a loud shriek filled the alleyway, it was clear that he failed to do so.

"Wh-what-" A finger suddenly pressed against his lips as All Might's skeleton eyes bore into his.

"That, my dear Midoriya is a story for later! I came for you because you showed the mark of a true hero." The force of the compliment sent Izuku to his knees. Sure, Sena had always told him that he could be a hero but no one else ever did, not even his Okaa-san, which is why he went and re-registered his quirk in secret. The fact that an actual person was doing it-and the fact that the person just happened to be the number 1 hero had an uncomfortable feeling in his chest. "I think you have the potential to become a great hero, Midoriya-shounen. And I choose you to inherit my quirk!" The tears that had begun to spill down Izuku's freckled-cheeks suddenly stopped in their tracks as if he had waterbent them (and his tears were actually a surprisingly good source of water for him since he produced so much).

"EH?"


	4. Preparations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Izuku meets with All Might over a bowl of ramen to discuss what exactly his offer entails.

" _Kid-Izuku, the spirit world has been calling me back for a couple days now. It's pull is getting stronger." They sat in Sena's grove, well-Izuku sat with his legs folded against the grass that had once been a bright green, but now was dull as if it was getting dehydrated. The various flowers that had once been in full bloom were barren, and even the violet trees were starting to lose their color. The only one that remained strong was the one that now sported a tinge of green, and it was the very same one that Sena was currently hanging upside down on. His hand carded through the grass, each blade turning to ash as his palms slipped over them. He paused in his movement not saying anything despite feeling the effect of Sena's cold eyes on him. He never knew what had made her stare so different, had attributed it to her family being from a place that she said was once frozen solid that no longer existed, but he now knew it was just an effect of Sena being Sena. For her, there was no such thing as a burning stare unless it was the pain of being frostbitten._

" _You'll just go back to recharge won't you? And then come back?" Even before she spoke, Izuku knew his answer. He knew it the moment he appeared in here for training last night, knew it the moment that he didn't see the familiar creatures buzzing around the area. The grove was quiet, not even the roaring sound of the waterfall reaching them. The 14-year-old knew that if he was to make his way out of the clearing, the waterfall probably wouldn't even be there. Still-he asked whether it was out of disbelief or just plain hope that her answer would be different. A cold hand cupped his cheek and he forced back a sob as he realized he couldn't even fully feel her hand anymore. It was as if a wisp of air was dancing over his freckled face and he resisted the urge to grab her in a hug, afraid of what he would do if his arms were unable to wrap around her as they had so many times before._

" _We both know the answer to that kid." They sat in silence for a while, the kneeling Sena moving her ghostly hand through his hair now as if she was ruffling it. "I won't be able to join you in your world anymore kid, you'll just have to come to me."_

" _But why?" He finally lifted his gaze, eyes shining with so many different emotions that it pained Sena to even look at him but she endured, staring back passively._

" _I don't know. I honestly wasn't supposed to be able to interact with you kid-the both of us are a special case. The spirit world has been calling me for a while now-I think the generations that I spent in it before getting summoned to you is the only thing that allowed me to take form for so long." The explanation made no sense to her but it had to be the only likely option. An agitated hand ran through her curly locks as she let out a soft sigh, breaking eye contact with Izuku and looking upward to the slowly greying sky. "One of the duties of the Avatar has always been to master a spiritual connection with their predecessors in order to learn more from them, and it will be your turn to find me. We already have a connection so it should be a little easier-but keep in mind it may also be harder. The spirits have retreated from this world long ago and you have no one to guide you. The solstices are an important time, you might have an easier time contacting me at night-I just don't know kid. I'm sorry." Her fists clenched as she glared down at the ground, her lip quivering once. She didn't know what her next move would have been but a hand hovered over hers carefully causing her to look up at her young successor once more. Izuku had grown up so much in the time that she had come to know him, and it made her oddly proud._

" _I'll find a way to connect with you again, Sena-Sensei." A small smile crossed his face and warmth filled the spirit. She opened her mouth to say something only to gasp in pain as her form wavered violently. "Sensei?!" She held a hand up as she slowly got herself under control. She had mere seconds left, she could feel it-_

" _I'll be there with you no matter what kid, I'm proud of you Izu-" And then she was gone, the glen was collapsing-_

_Izuku shot up from his bed, clutching his chest._

* * *

Yagi Toshinori was a frail looking man. His body only had a little more meat on it compared to a skeleton, and his hair made him look like a mad scientist but overall he looked like a harmless old man. Once upon a time, it had bothered him to even look into the mirror but he had come to terms with the fact that this was now his body. For the most part anyway.

"Yagi-san!" He shook himself out of his musings as a blur of green slid itself into the booth directly across from him in the small ramen shop that sat near the end of a back alley. Toshinori had come here a lot when he was a younger man, and if he looked to the left he could nearly see a black haired woman giving a young blonde teenager a noogie as she berated him for ordering before she even got there.

"Hello Midoriya-shounen. How are you today?" He gave the teenager a warm smile, expecting one back only to raise an eyebrow as the teen's previous smile slipped away and he glanced to the side with a look of grief in his eyes.

"I'm...I'm okay, Yagi-San. Did you order already? Have you been waiting long?" Toshinori almost wanted to say something but a small voice in his head told him not to push it. He merely shook his head and slid a menu over to the boy, already knowing that he himself was just going to get a small bowl of rice as he could no longer tolerate most of the food in this place anymore. That thought depressed him, the food was really damn good. A young waitress came over and took their orders, Izuku ordering a bowl of Tonkotsu ramen and Toshinori ordering a plain bowl of rice. They sat in awkward silence for a moment before it was broken by the older man.

"Midoriya-shounen, I am prepared to tell you all about my offer but first, could you tell me about your quirk?" Had Toshinori been looking up, he would have seen the look of sheer alarm and grief that overtook the young teenager's face before he looked down, fidgeting with his fingers.

"Ah, Yagi-san it's an um, elemental quirk." He felt extremely bad for lying to the man, but honestly the truth sounded crazier than any lie he could have told. "I um, I have some control over the four main elements." The blonde man nodded, rubbing his pointy chin.

"Ah yes I remember it well, you used it against the sludge villain. That is a highly unique quirk young man." Izuku nodded, keeping his eyes trained on his glass of water. The number one opened his mouth to speak once more, pausing once their food was placed on the table. After the waitress walked away, Toshinori lowered his voice as he picked up his chopsticks. "My quirk isn't something I can describe right now, but it is essentially a stock piling quirk that can be passed from generation to generation. I inherited it from my master, and now, if you'll agree-I'd like for you to inherit it. It comes with its share of problems though Midoriya. You will go through a lot of hardships simply by inheriting it, and the responsibility that comes from this power has the potential of crushing you. Knowing that, would you still choose to accept?" Izuku's chopsticks paused just above his noodles as he froze in place.

" _Knowing everything that I just told you, you're still excited to be the Avatar?" Sena gave Izuku a look as the 8 year old nodded, bouncing on his legs. He stilled after a moment, twisting his fingers as he thought about it for a moment before he spoke. His stuttering words took a moment to come out, but when they did Sena couldn't help but feel the pride for him grow._

" _Sena-chan, I k-k-know that it'll be a lot o-of trouble. B-b-but isn't that the mark of a h-hero? M-meeting challenges that seem hard to face? I-I want to be a h-hero Sena-chan, more than anything. If being the Avatar means I can be one, then I'll do it!" His face was set in a determined line, his eyes sparkling with fire._

Those same eyes came to life before Toshinori's very eyes as Izuku tightened his grip on his chopsticks. His mouth disappeared into a thin line as he nodded once at the pro hero.

"I would, Yagi-san. I want to be a hero more than anything, and meeting challenges that seem hard to face is just one mark of it." His eyes dipped back down, his cheeks flushing as the sudden thought that he had just spoken to the _number one hero like that_. He desperately slurped up his noodles in order to avoid looking at Yagi, taking a large bite of his runny egg and gasping for air as he semi choked on it. Toshinori absently pushed the boy's glass of water to him, a wide grin crossing his face as he finally took a bite of his rice. He had thought that he had made the right choice before, the boy's words confirming it. _You would have liked him Sensei._ A small smile crossed his face as he saw himself in the same spot as Midoriya, scarfing down his own ramen as Nana Shimura laughed at him.

"Well then, Midoriya-shounen. I assume you'll be applying to U.A?" The boy nodded once as the flush to his face slowly died down. "There are 10 months until the entrance exam and we'll need you ready before then. Meet me at Dagobah beach tomorrow morning before the sunrise and we'll get to work. As it was right now, you aren't fit to inherit my quirk." He gave the boy a quick once over. While he wasn't squishy by any sense of the word and actually seemed to have a few muscles on him, Midoriya was still leaner than Toshinori would have liked. He would need to build the boy up so that he wouldn't explode into a steaming pile of blood and guts. He paid no attention to the look of shock that the boy gave him, continuing to speak. "You seem fit, yes, but it is a lot of power that you'll be taking on. We'll need to build up all of your muscles in order to minimize the risk of damage to your body."

"What kind of damage Yagi-San?" Izuku sat his chopsticks over the top of his finished bowl, taking another sip of his water. He had been a little hurt and confused when Yagi had said he wasn't fit to inherit the quirk, but now it made a lot of sense.

"Oh you know, a missing limb would be the best case scenario. Worst case scenario you'd explode." The blonde said it flippantly as if it wasn't an important thing. Izuku felt his jaw drop to the floor and he knew if Sena was here, she'd be on the floor cackling.

"B-best case s-scenario?"

"Yes." Toshinori nodded affirmatively and reached over, clapping a big hand onto Midoriya's shoulder. "But that's why we'll be training you up so that it doesn't happen! Come Midoriya-shounen, take a step forward to your hero academia!" The green headed boy nodded, a look of determination across his face. As they left the ramen shop, both heading their separate ways he closed his hands into fists, his brow furrowing. _He would be ready for anything_ he swore to himself. He would build his muscles and gain control of All Might's quirk, and he would learn how to connect and speak with Sena. He would pass U.A's entrance exam, and he would become one of the best hero students that they ever saw. There was no other option.

He had to do his best and be ready for anything.

* * *

Izuku was most certainly _not_ ready for this. When he had arrived at Dagobah beach that morning, he had not expected All Might to make him move all the garbage. _A hero's first act should be community service, something that has been long forgotten_. Izuku agreed with him, community service was important. But then he was told that he couldn't use his quirk and he felt a mild sense of disappointment because it would have been the perfect time to see if he could metal bend-and then he was attempting to push a refrigerator around with All Might sitting on top of it. Izuku was convinced that this was his punishment, it was his atonement for making the Avatar spirit wait so long (in his mind though he had not connected to her yet, Raava let out a quiet laugh).

And thus his 10 months of hell began.


	5. Entrance Exam

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Izuku takes on the Entrance Exam

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, so I realized that I already have like 14 chapters of this written so it didn't make sense to only post one chapter a day, it would take forever lol. So instead I shall post 3! So one more chapter inbound after this one!

Though Izuku had tried to connect with Sena for months, the first time he had been able to was the morning of the U.A exam 10 months later. The vision quite literally came out of nowhere. One minute he was standing at the top of the last pile of garbage on the beach, letting out a victorious yell. The next moment he was falling, his vision overtaken by a white glow.

_A woman that was clearly a younger version of Sena stood in front of him, panting harshly. Blood marred her traditional blue garments, staining the light blue fabric into a deep purple. Her feet were shifted apart, her hands up with her eyes flashing unsteadily between white and their normal blue. In front of her stood a tall man with hair as black as coal, his eyes hidden beneath his bangs but Izuku knew he probably bore a maniacal gleam in his eyes as he leaned back, hands casually in his pockets._

" _So this is the fabled Avatar. How..disappointing. You could escape on your own you know, leave my brother to me and run away. I have no urge to kill you yet, when it comes to our final battle it shall be..fun." Sena didn't say a word, merely dropping down further into her stance. Izuku looked behind her, noticing for the first time a crumpled figure of a man with equally black hair-and then he noticed the blood pooling around the man. From the basic healing that Sena had taught him, Izuku knew that the man was getting dangerously close to death. The white glow of Sena's eyes flickered out before returning with a vengeance, her voice intermingled with the voices of those before her as the ruins of a building began to rise around them. Though he was only a spectator, a sharp wind ruffled his hair as he was dragged from the vision, Sena's words echoing through his mind._

" _I will never turn my back on the people who need me!"_

He came back to himself what felt like hours later but was only seconds, finding himself in All Might's arms. _What was that-_ He shook the thought off as All Might began speaking. He'd have time to think about the vision later.

" **Midoriya, you have surpassed my expectations! What took me years has only taken you 10 months, and I couldn't be more proud!"** Izuku's eyes swam a little at the praise as he was set on his feet, a bright smile crossing his face. He had done it, and just in time too. It had been hard, and it had been lonely but Izuku really saw the results. He was more muscular than he had been 10 months ago, his toned but undefined abs taking on the shape of a 6 pack. His form had filled out a little bit with muscle as well, but he was still lean. Looking up at the setting moon and the rising sun, Izuku let his smile widen a little bit more. _Thank you Tui and La, thank you Agni_. He looked back at All Might, noticing the man staring at him. He rubbed his head sheepishly, offering the man an awkward smile as the number one hero let out a sigh and rolled his eyes in fondness.

" **Did you hear anything I said, Midoriya-shounen?"** Izuku eeped and scuttled backward as a dangerous aura erupted from All Might.

"N-no Sensei, sorry All Might-Sensei." The aura disappeared as All Might let out a bark of laughter, that dangerous look still in his eye as he plucked out a strand of hair and forced it at Izuku.

" **It's alright, EAT THIS!"** A shocked look flittered over the green haired boy's face as his jaw dropped and his emerald eyes bulged out of his head. For a moment he thought he heard Sena's cackling as he took a hesitant step back, All Might taking one forward to match him.

"What?! I'm not eating that!"

* * *

In the end, Izuku did end up eating the hair, and now he was on his way to U.A after rushing home and getting ready. He didn't feel any different, but All Might had said it would take a couple of hours to kick in since he had to digest it.

The thought of that made his stomach bubble and churn.

As he got off at his stop and began making his way to U.A, he couldn't help but start to double guess himself. He had forgotten to put in a request to carry his water bottle on him during the test which would be his only source of water (he needed to figure out a better way to keep water on him) as he doubted there would be a source of it in the exam. He worried about how OFA would intermingle with the Avatar state, though since one was a soul thing and the other was a quirk thing it was entirely possible that they wouldn't have an effect on each other. He was so deep in thought that as he crossed the barrier into U.A, he tripped on a rock.

 _Welp. There goes my life._ He thought as he fell. He made a move to catch himself with a burst of air when a hand suddenly fisted itself in his jacket and yanked him to his feet before pushing him forward roughly. Before he could turn around the person responsible for it strolled past him, ash-blonde hair making its way into his line of sight as red eyes glared at him.

"Tch. At least try not to die before you even make it in, shitty Deku."

"Kacchan! Do you want to sit together?" Izuku moved forward to fall in line with Katsuki. It was something he wouldn't have dared to do before, but ever since the sludge incident, Katsuki had become more tolerable towards him. They still weren't friends like they used to be, and probably would never become that type of friend ever again. They could be friendly with each other though, and it was a start.

"Hell no nerd." The blonde barked at him and strolled forward, moving faster so that Izuku eventually couldn't keep up without running. Izuku shook his head and smiled, following behind the angry teenager as they both checked in for the written exam and wandered off to their specific test rooms. Despite the blonde's protest, when it came time for the practical portion they ended up sitting together anyway.

"Looks like they're separating people by schools so that friends can't work together." Katsuki's eyes were on his card that read Area B. Taking a quick look at Kacchan's card so that the explosion user wouldn't see, he noted that his classmate's own card read Area D. He nodded sagely, rubbing his chin as he began muttering.

"It makes a lot of sense-" He was jolted out of his muttering by a punch to his arm followed by a "Shut the fuck up nerd." He smiled sheepishly at Kacchan, turning away to pay attention to the presentation by Present Mic. He leaned forward with interest as Present Mic explained the objective, only to be shocked out of his reverie by a boy with black hair and blue eyes calling him out and telling him to leave. An uncustomary wave of fury swept over the OFA user and he actually found himself opening his mouth to reply, only to be stopped by another punch from Katsuki. When his eyes met Bakugou's, the boy discretely shook his head.

"Kick his ass in the practical Deku. Wouldn't want to make a bad impression on captain auto-tune." The wave of frustration disappeared as fast as it came as Izuku acknowledged that for once, Kacchan was actually discouraging a fight. _Hmm, he's changed a bit, hasn't he?_ He found himself turning to look at the boy again only to find that he wasn't there. _He must have left the instant it ended_. Letting out a soft sigh, Izuku rose to his red sneaker-clad feet as he exited the auditorium and made his way to the bus that would take him to Area B.

* * *

" _The first rule of battle is to expect the unexpected. Plan for the unplannable, be ready for anything."_

" _How can I prepare for the unexpected? Isn't that the main reason why it's unexpected?"_

" _Well, yeah. You can't prepare for the event itself, but you can prepare your reactions. You have to be able to move at a moment's notice, you need to be able to adapt and overcome. It's the only way you can survive even the most dire situations. You shouldn't ever need a cue when you see the chance- you take it."_

The future U.A candidates ambled outside of a giant gate, each and every one of them nervous as to what lay beyond. Izuku had no clue what it was, but he had to be prepared for anything. He mentally cursed himself once more for not having his water, his unconscious habit of muttering coming out once more. He was stopped by a hand clapping over his shoulder and someone forcibly turning him around.

"Do you think this is a joke? You aren't taking this seriously!" Izuku shrugged the hand off of his shoulder, his eyes darkening as he looked up at the boy who had called him out in the auditorium. His eyes glanced over the engines exiting from the boy's legs (he'd have to figure out what his quirk was later) and then looked back up to the piercing blue eyes. He opened his mouth to respond when he felt a sudden shift in the air as it rushed out of the gate. He turned and propelled himself forward when the voice spoke in his head without invitation.

 _Move_. The rest of the contestants stared at him in confusion when Present Mic spoke up.

"That Little Listener has the right idea! There are no 'starts' in a battle! GO GO GO!" By the time the rest of the contestants entered, there was a row of robots destroyed with unsettled earth being left behind. Izuku darted down the alleyways, choosing to branch away from the main area. He knew that that was where most of the contestants would stay, and he didn't want to have to worry about accidentally injuring them with any of his attacks. He forced himself to stick with only using earth and air, not trusting himself enough with fire to avoid hurting himself and setting the arena ablaze. He whipped around a corner, stomping his left leg into the ground and jumping up, hitting the boulder that rose from the ground with a roundhouse kick that sent it flying into the 2 pointer that had been right in front of him.

 _That makes 25 points_. He nodded sharply to himself and dipped down another alleyway, in search of more robots. While choosing the backways protected the other contestants from him, it cost him points since there were fewer robots in those areas. It was alright though because whatever robot he did find meant he was that closer to achieving his dreams.

* * *

Yagi Toshinori smiled to himself as he watched the green-headed boy that he had come to be fond of carve a path of destruction through the alleyways, leaving nothing but robot parts behind him. "We have an interesting bunch this year don't we?" He spoke, glancing over at another screen that featured a boy who was using explosions to decimate everything in his path, a savage grin covering his face.

"That we do, Yagi-san. Though the mark of a hero isn't just defined by how well one can fight." Toshinori found his eyes landing on the white bear-mouse creature who happened to be the principal of the best hero school in the world. Nezu let out a grin that sent shivers down Toshinori's spine as he flicked open the box that housed a red button and pushed it. "Let's see how they deal with this."

* * *

Izuku was panting as he exited the last alleyway and found himself back in the man area. He had gathered 37 points, and while it wasn't a lot it would possibly still be enough to get him into the prestigious school. He had lost out on points from where he had tried using OFA instead of his bending, and students that had figured out to check the alleyways too had stolen the points from him. One boy that had done so was a sparkling looking boy who shot a laser out of his stomach and then smirked at Izuku.

"Ah, merci mon ami. Bonne chance!" Izuku had only stared after the french speaker, not knowing what he had said. Bringing himself to the present, Izuku froze when a vibration so strong he felt it through his sneakers rocked his body. He whipped around, swallowing roughly as a robot appeared, one so tall that it blocked the sun from the sky. A wave of screams rose up as all of the students turned around and sprinted toward the exit. _The zero pointer._ He didn't think it was going to be so large, and Izuku turned to run away himself when he thought he heard a quiet _help_. He hurriedly kicked off his shoe and yanked his sock off, slamming his foot to the ground and closing his eyes as vibrations from around him assaulted his body and- _there_. There was someone in the rubble! Now that he knew where to look, his eyes landed on a pink girl with equally pink hair. She was sending a stream of something from her hands to the rock, but it was clearly not having an effect. Izuku moved before he realized it, sprinting toward the girl and passing everyone else that sprinted past him. He wouldn't make it in time to earth bend her out, the robot would be on her before then. _Was this what Sena was trying to tell me with the vision?_ Izuku's eyes widened as he ran, his mind racing. _To help anyone who needs it? Was she trying to **warn** me?_

_"I will never turn my back on those who need me!"_

"HELP!" The desperation in the girl's scream caused him to run faster. He didn't know what to do, he couldn't metalbend, he couldn't earthbend the robot without risking hurting the girl-he was desperate he needed to do something. He was just about to panic when a sudden calm washed over his body.

 _Use us._ A sudden vision overtook him, and he saw 8 shadows flickering in the distance, surrounding a figure with glowing eyes. _Trust us_.

Glowing veins of red came to life over Izuku's body, covering his arms, his face, and his legs. Spurts of green electricity danced around him, a white glow overtaking his eyes as the robot took another step forward. He shot off the ground with the force of a bullet, pulling his arm back as he sped through the sky. Chunks of earth rose from the ground, flying after him. He hit the apex of his flight, coming face to face with the Zero pointer, his mouth opening without hesitation. When he spoke, the voices of hundreds intermingled with his voice as All Might's advice echoed through his skull.

_When the time comes, clench your ass cheeks and yell this phrase at the top of your lungs-_

"SMAAAAAASH" A gust of air left his fist and the chunks of rocks flew forward and slammed into the robot. The force of the combined hits sent it flying backward, and as it did so the white glow died from Izuku's eyes. His right arm and both of his legs dangled uselessly as he fell, hurtling back down like a comet. He heard the screams of the students below him as he frantically tried to angle himself into a diving position in midair. Tears streamed from his eyes as he shot his left arm forward and opened his mouth, inhaling deeply before releasing bursts of air from both areas. It was enough to cushion his fall but still sent him tumbling. He forced back a scream of agony as he jostled his already broken limbs, laying in a collapsed heap on the ground. Searing agony rocked his entire body, his eyes flickering in and out of the glow.

"Hey! You saved me." He tilted his head towards the pink girl who had finally managed to get herself out of the rubble. She stumbled her way over to him, her left ankle twisted in a way it shouldn't have been. She dropped down next to him, ripping off a piece of her shirt and pushing it against his cheek-he didn't even know he was bleeding. "Thank you." She whispered quietly to him before looking up, her golden irises searching for help. "Hey, we need a medic over here!"

"B-back a-away" Izuku muttered to the girl, tears streaming down his face as the agony spiked. She looked down at him and he noticed that where the white part of the eye normally would be, hers was black.

"Huh?" He didn't have the energy to say it again as he felt something bubble and shift around him. He closed his eyes when a voice floated over him.

"Oh deary, it looks like you have a broken ankle. Kiss!" He opened his eyes again, the glow overtaking them and then fading again. "On you go, I'll look after this one. Shoo." The pink girl looked like she was going to say something but the old lady who had suddenly appeared gave her a stern look. She flashed the injured boy an apologetic look before running off towards the entrance.

"I-is everyone g-gone." He rasped to the old lady who looked so familiar. She nodded as she backed away from him, not knowing why but following what he had told the girl earlier.

"Yes deary. We're the only ones left." He let out a sigh of relief in one breath and let out a long drawn out moan of pain in the next.

"G-good." He mumbled before another wave of agony washed over him as one for all sparked to life, the glow overtook his body again. The last thing he saw was the image of All Might landing next to him- and then he knew no more as he was sent spiraling down into the dark abyss of unconsciousness.


	6. Results

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Izuku receives his results for the U.A exam

_Sena was exhausted. The 17 year old girl leaned against the wall of the alleyway she was currently hiding in as the people who had been chasing her ran past the opening. She let out a soft sigh and waited an extra moment before rising to her feet, using her airbending to shoot herself into the sky and onto the nearest roof. Glancing around to make sure no one was following her, she jumped from rooftop to rooftop until she reached the edge of the city and the beginning of the forest. She allowed herself to float down to the forest floor and darted in, snaking through the trees until she came to a familiar clearing._

" _I come bearing breakfast!" She released her grasp off the edge of her shirt and allowed two peaches, two apples, and a loaf of bread to drop to the blanket-covered forest floor. Stooping down she swept up a peach and took a giant bite, the juices spilling down her lips. "You guys better be hungry because I-" She paused in mid-sentence, her eyes roving around the silent clearing, her peach dropping out of her hand, bouncing off the ground, and rolling into a puddle of crimson red. The tent that had been put up just hours before was shredded to pieces, the belongings that had been in them scattered around the clearing. She took a stuttering step forward, her eyes focused on a figure pinned to the closest tree. A warm liquid coursed down her face and she raised her hand to touch it, shocked to find tears. She hadn't cried in years, and yet here they were-hot rivers carving a path on her cheeks. A strange keening sound echoed through the forest and she suddenly found herself on her knees, digging her fingers into the dirt as the world disappeared to white._

* * *

Izuku sat on his bed, staring at the projector across from him on his desk. His mother had burst into his All Might themed room moments prior, screaming about his letter being here. She had dropped it onto his desk with her telekinesis with caution and then gave him a shaky smile. She exited his room and closed the door behind her, leaving him to his staring contest. He struggled to build the courage to actually look at his results. He was afraid he had failed, that his 37 villain points hadn't been enough. _But what if they had?_ A voice that suspiciously sounded like his predecessor said. _Just play the projector. You can't know if you don't look._ He took a deep breath and suddenly lunged forward, slamming his hand on the projector's play button. He was about to close his eyes when the sudden appearance of All Might startled him.

" **I AM HERE AS A PROJECTION! Sorry about dodging your calls Midoriya-shounen, it's been a busy wee-what do you mean hurry up? I have how many more of these to make?"** The pro-heroes eyes went wide as he was told a number and he coughed, clearing his throat as he began speaking a little faster than before. " **Well then, here are your results! You gained 37 villain points. That alone would have barely been enough to get you into U.A. You would have passed by 1 point."** Izuku's fist clenched at the fact that his score was almost not enough. He would have cursed himself for his approach of taking the backways had All Might not continued speaking. " **However, the mark of a hero is not only determined by how well one fights villains, there is also merit in how a hero reacts to situations in which someone needs saving. You my dear boy, have shown that particular mark of a hero in spades. For saving a fellow contestant at the cost of yourself, you were awarded 60 rescue points! This puts you in first place with a score of 97 points, with second place only being a mere two points behind you. Congratulations Midoriya. Welcome to your hero academia!"** With that the projection cut off, leaving Izuku alone once more in his darkened room. A sob forced its way through his chest as he cried tears of relief, his body shaking from the force of it. He had done it. He had passed the first obstacle to becoming a hero.

"I can do it Sena. I will do it. I'll prove to everyone that I'm worthy of being a hero!" He vowed to himself. He wiped the tears away from his eyes, allowing a bright smile to cover his face as he stood up to go inform his mother about his results. As she hugged him and cried about how proud she was, Izuku felt like the luckiest person in the world. Had he known what U.A had in store for him, he probably would have thought the opposite.

* * *

After a celebratory dinner of katsudon, Izuku made his way to the beach. Yagi-san had texted him and told him to meet him there when he could, and Izuku made sure to send a reply that he was on his way as he slipped out of the door. The night was quiet with no clouds in sight, allowing for the stars to be on full display as they danced through the sky. The full moon hovered overhead, illuminating the night as he walked. For once, his surprisingly loud mind was silent as he drifted through town, allowing his feet to take him to his destination on autopilot. He almost wished he didn't wear shoes so that he could feel the earth beneath his feet, but that was asking to get his foot sliced open and need a tetanus shot. The smell of salty air broke him from his peaceful bliss and he suddenly found himself moving faster as he stepped onto the sand of the beach, spotting a familiar skeletal man.

"Yagi-san!" He shouted. A wide grin crossed the blonde man's face as he met his young charge, pulling the boy into an unexpected hug. He pushed the boy back with both of his hands placed on the young man's shoulders.

"You did amazing, kid! Even before the zero-pointer, your skill was something that a lot of people noted." Izuku rubbed the back of his neck, not entirely as excited as his predecessor.

"Ah Yagi-San, I didn't do that well. I don't have proper control of our quirk yet, I-I broke nearly all of my limbs using it. I got lucky" His eyes stared at the sand, almost looking as though he could pick apart each piece of it. A hand in his hair caused him to look up into Toshinori's smiling face once more.

"You did great kid, give yourself credit where it's due kid. There's a difference between luck and hard-earned success. And besides-that was only a mild reaction for it being your first time using it...though it looks like you went a bit haywire towards the end. Are you feeling any better?"

"Huh?" Izuku tilted his head in confusion before the image of himself screaming with an aura of white intermixed with green lightning crackling around him. At the moment it felt as though he had been in pure agony, it honestly felt as though he was dying-but when he woke up he felt better than he had before. It had almost been as though a piece of him that was missing had finally reconnected with the main part of his soul. It was something that was weird to explain, even to Izuku. "Oh..um yeah I feel a lot better. Recovery girl works wonders." Toshinori stared into the viridian eyes for a moment, sensing that there was something more to what Midoriya was saying, however, he didn't push the teen. After all, it wouldn't be fair when All Might himself was keeping two important secrets from the boy himself. Still, though, he thought uncertainly, something was definitely up. He had rushed to the training grounds himself at the sight of Izuku's quirk going haywire. He had heard Aizawa say something, but he was already gone before the man himself could act. When he had arrived the glow that had surrounded the green-haired boy was dying down, and in the midst, Toshinori swore that he could barely see two figures standing beside Izuku, one with glowing eyes, the other with an aura of a golden purple-though just purple wouldn't be the right way to describe it. It had almost a reddish tint to it as well...violet perhaps. But then again, that could always be Toshinori's aging mind tricking him. _Doubtful_. He pushed that train of thought to the background as he watched his successor stare at the full moon with a wistful smile. He loathed to break the silence, but he did feel the need to warn him.

"Do not get comfortable though, Midoriya-shounen. This is only a step towards your future career path. You'll face a lot of hardship at U.A, even if you'll only be a first year. Especially if you get who I'm thinking of as your teacher." An image of a man with glowing red eyes sent shivers down the number one hero's spine. "You'll have to expect the unexpected-"

"And plan for the unplannable. I know, Yagi-san." The glittering eyes removed themselves from the moon and instead focused on Yagi with a look that Yagi would be hard pressed to describe. "I won't let my guard down, I promise I'll be a worthy successor and make you proud." Another silence descended over both of them as Yagi nodded once. Later that night as he made his way home with a warm glow in his chest, he nearly decided then and there that his young successor had already done so.

* * *

Izuku sat on the balcony that led to his house, face tilted toward the half moon as he sat in a lotus position. His eyes were closed as he sought the moon's energy, feeling it push and pull his own energy as if he was a part of the ocean's tide. He allowed himself to be pulled within the energy of Tui, and one moment he was still on his balcony, the next he was opening his eyes to see a familiar figure, only this time the figure was solid without a ghostly blue glow.

" _Sena!"_ He shouted the figure's name and ran forward, only to pass through her as if he was a breeze. He stopped in his tracks, lifting a hand towards her. A look of understanding crossed his face as he took in the green glow that covered his own see through hand. _So I'm in a vision then, I'm not actually in the spirit world._ The thought managed to disappoint him before the sound of Sena speaking to someone reached his ear. He turned around, taking in his surroundings as he did so. It seemed as though he was in the middle of an underground hideout. There were tents scattered around as far as his eyes could see, with random people walking around. Though the air seemed somber, Izuku was still able to catch the sound of laughter if he listened hard enough. The air smelled damp, almost of mildew, leading Izuku to believe that they were possibly hidden behind a waterfall. He walked forward in the direction of Sena's voice, unconsciously dodging the people that milled back and forth around him. He came to a stop outside of a white tent with a red cross on the front of it. He hesitated on whether he should go in or not, when Sena's voice reached him again.

"I didn't do it for the thanks, you know." Pushing the flap of the tent open, he took two small steps in. The inside of the tent was big, it probably could have fit around 6 normal sized tents in it. Around a dozen people were laid out in rows, some of them covered with white sheets, though most were covered with bandages. Izuku ripped his eyes from the fallen, instead turning his eyes in the direction of a bluish glow. His eyes landed on a younger version of Sena, this one with her curly hair cut to her chin. She had patches of dirt across her face and scratches all along her arms and hands. Her familiar circular glasses sat on her face, hiding her eyes but they couldn't hide the bags that sat under them. Quite frankly to Izuku, Sena looked exhausted. Still, she focused on her task with hands moving over the torso of a man that seemed slightly familiar to Izuku. He took a few more steps forward, stepping right next to Sena in order to get a better look at the man. His eye was swollen shut and he had blood dripping down from his forehead to his neck. His left arm was twisted in the wrong direction, and he hissed as Sena passed another hand over his body.

"Good, because you weren't getting any. Is this supposed to hurt so much?" He hissed again as Sena's hand passed over a particularly nasty cut, this time without the familiar glow of blue.

"I'm using salt water to clear out your wounds. Wouldn't do you any good to seal an infection in, right?" Izuku mentally winced at the tone of Sena's voice, one that she used when she was feeling particularly vindictive. "What's your name anyway, and where are we?" The waterbender bent the salt water back into the pot she had gotten it from. She bent water from the nearest basin and covered her hands in it, placing her hand tentatively over the man's eye. As her hands took on the familiar blue glow, the man let out a soft sigh.

"I'm not telling you that until you answer my question." Sena's eyes rolled behind her scratched glasses, hands moving from his face to his torso once more. Where had been a previously swollen eye now sat only slightly bruised skin, with much of the inflammation gone. This allowed the man to open up both of his eyes, and from his close position, Izuku was able to see that the man's eyes were violet.

"What question is that?" Izuku couldn't see Sena's face, but he was able to feel the danger behind the lighthearted tone. He realized that for once, this wasn't the cool and levelheaded Sena that he had come to know. This was an entirely different person, one that had been affected by trials and war. The vision suddenly wavered and became static like, a white noise buzzing in Izuku's ears and causing him to miss the question that was asked. He whipped around back toward Sena, trying to decipher her answer as the world around him began to collapse inward. The buzzing suddenly cleared as the vision stabilized for an instant, allowing him to hear the last part of her answer "-like you needed help-" before the buzzing came back with a vengeance and he was falling through darkness.

* * *

He came back to himself with a startled gasp, placing his palms against the ground as he suddenly hunched over onto his knees, chest heaving and sweat beading down his face. Despite the sudden exhaustion that washed over him, he felt a wave of triumph as for once, he was able to establish a connection between himself and Sena on his own. It hadn't been a full on connection, but he was still able to learn more about her past- something Sena told him she had started out doing as well. A small smile crossed his face as he pushed himself to his feet, running a hand through his sweaty hair absently. _I'm one step closer to talking to her again. I'm one more step closer to becoming a fully realized Avatar._ The thought elated him, though he did pause to think about the vision. He was confused on what he had seen, and he had realized that him and Sena had more in common than he thought.


	7. Proving Yourself

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Izuku tackles the first day of classes

Izuku's first day of U.A was not at all what he had expected-especially with the introduction of a classmate and the appearance of the giant caterpillar that introduced itself as his homeroom teacher. When Izuku had stepped into the classroom, he had inhaled deeply and prayed to whatever spirit was listening that this year would be a good one. Feeling optimistic, he slid the door open only to stop in the entryway as his eyes landed on two familiar people arguing. Already he felt a headache forming as his eyes roved around the classroom.

"Broccoli boy!" It seemed that the world came to a halt as bright golden eyes and a pink face suddenly appeared in his line of vision. He let out a screech and stumbled backward, putting some space between him and the girl.

"B-broccoli boy?" The girl gave him a bright smile and held her hands out towards him in the form of two peace signs.

"Yeah, I never got your name after you saved me from the zero pointer! I could call you Midori instead since your hair and eyes are green and all! I'm Ashido Mina!" The green eyed boy stared at the girl, a bright blush overtaking his face. He barely even noticed his classmates whispering around about him saving someone from the zero pointer, but he did notice the sound of Kacchan's hands making a popping sound, showing that he was trying to keep from blowing something up. The unexpected sound was enough to snap him back to himself as he gave the girl an awkward peace sign back.

"I-um-actually you aren't too far off. I'm Midoriya Izuku." He averted his eyes as he expected the girl to laugh at him, but to his surprise she bounced forward and grabbed his hand, dragging him into the classroom.

"We're totally going to be best friends Midori!" He went to say something else when a sudden voice from behind him had him whipping around, a scream erupting from the class as a man laying sideways in a giant yellow sleeping bag said good morning to them. They watched as the man with deep eyebags, who looked so familiar that it was bothering Izuku, had unzipped his sleeping bag and risen to his feet with a sigh after slurping down a fruit pack. The man had glanced around the room with a straight face, his arms folded over his chest as he leaned against the bored.

"What an illogical bunch. If you're here to make friends, I suggest you leave now." Silence permeated the room after the man's declaration. "The name's Aizawa, I'll be your homeroom teacher. Welcome to 1-A. Put on your gym uniforms and meet me at the training grounds for a quirk assessment. _Quickly_." The man turned around to leave, only to stop as the engine quirk boy- _Iida-_ Izuku remembered, shot his hand into the sky.

"Sensei! What about orientation?" Aizawa didn't even bother looking back, pausing in the open doorway.

"One thing about U.A is that the teachers are given the liberty of what to do with their classes. Orientation is an illogical waste of time. Like I said, training grounds and quickly." With that he allowed the sliding door to slam shut. Izuku rose to his feet and grabbed a gym uniform, moving next to the nearest person who happened to be Kacchan. The blonde didn't bother saying anything to him, giving him a slightly heated glare before marching off in the direction of the locker rooms. Once there, Izuku got dressed as quickly as he could in the blue and white uniform, being the first one to leave. When he arrived at the field Aizawa-sensei gave him a bland look before glaring in the direction of the locker rooms. It was around another two minutes before the rest of his classmates began to exit. Izuku fidgeted with his fingers as he looked away from the irritated man, instead choosing to observe the grounds and get a gleam of what they were doing. He was only able to observe the track, what looked like a giant circle, and a sandpit before the sound of someone speaking drew his attention.

"All of you are impossibly slow. Even the fastest one here, Midoriya, still took nearly 5 minutes while the rest of you took 7. That is what you are here to improve. Bakugou." The ash-blonde glanced at the teacher, a bored expression covering his face as his hands were tucked into the pockets of his gym pants. "What was your highest score in middle school for a ball throw?" The explosion user shrugged and scratched his head.

"67 meters." Izuku's own throws had never been more than 50 meters. Even without his explosions, Kacchan was insanely strong. Lost in his own thoughts, he missed the black haired man telling his classmate to throw the ball. It was only a shout of 'DIE' that drew Izuku's attention back to the spectacle as he let out a loud sigh. _Really Kacchan?_ The rest of the class watched in stunned silence as an explosion propelled the ball forward, seemingly going forever until Aizawa held up a digital meter that read Bakugou's score.

732.5 meters. Bakugou smirked at his classmates and returned to his spot, hands tucked deep into his pockets once more.

"Aaah, that looks so fun!" Izuku whipped his head towards the classmate that had spoken, only to find it was the pink-haired girl that he had saved during the entrance exam (Ashido, his mind had supplied). _Fun?_ His heart froze in his chest as his sensei repeated the same word aloud, the entire class resisting the urge to move in and huddle next to each other as an aura of killer intent rose from the pro hero.

"You think you're here to have _fun?_ Do you think natural disasters, villain attacks, random robberies, are _fun?_ Well then let's add a fun factor then." A truly terrifying smirk crossed the man's face as he lifted it from the scarves wrapped around his neck. "The person with the lowest score will be expelled." A wave of protest rose from the class but another quelling glare from the man silenced them. Izuku himself was frozen as the words seemingly bounced around his head. Before he could work himself up into one of his panic attacks, he closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. When green eyes opened again, they were filled with a determined glint. He had done everything he could to be here, he wouldn't let anyone get in the way of his dreams. He would push himself as hard as he could, above and beyond. _Plus ultra_ , he thought as Aizawa announced the first trial to be a 50-meter dash. _Not too bad_. Izuku internally wished that he had his notebook as his classmates took their turns doing the 50-meter dash. All of their quirks were so cool! Iida had taken the top score so far at around 3 seconds, the boy complaining that the distance didn't allow for him to kick it into high gear. Another girl who had created something from her body had come in at around 5 seconds. He forced himself to stop focusing on his classmates and instead figure out what he was going to do, but before he could do so he heard his name be called along with Kacchan's. As he lined up at the starting line, he remembered a move that Sena had taught him long ago.

" _You spin the air like this and then you hop on it like this! The key is to hop as you're spinning the air otherwise you'll be too unbalanced when you get on it!" She looked at the boy as if what she had said made complete sense despite the fact that she was actually unable to do a physical demonstration. Izuku nodded as if he understood though, the 12-year-old recreating the movements that she made a couple of times as he stood in an empty spot in a nearby forest. When she finally nodded her consent for him to try, Izuku did the move the exact same way she had told him to, only to fall flat on his face as he messed up somehow. His 2nd, 3rd, and 4th attempts all went the same way and ended up with Sena laughing at him from her lotus position nearby. The viridian eyes glared at the blue-tinted girl as he once again pushed himself to his feet, irritation playing in the back of his head. Airbending didn't come as naturally to him as earth and water did. While Sena had explained that as air being Earth's natural opposite, it didn't make sense to Izuku because even though he learned earthbending first as per the Avatar cycle, he didn't think that he was a native earthbender. It would make sense though, as earth was the easiest element for him to learn followed by water, though that could be explained by him having the literal water avatar as his teacher. His mutterings would have continued had Sena not chopped him on the head swiftly. As he yelped and rubbed his head, Sena looked down at him with an amused smirk. "You'll get it eventually kid, don't rush it."_

A smile had crossed his face at the memory, and the moment Aizawa said for them to start Izuku was on his air scooter, riding forward with his legs crossed and his fists put together. He glanced to the side to see Kacchan giving him a wild smirk, explosions rocketing from his hands as they finished at nearly the exact same time.

_4.15 seconds_

_4.17 seconds_

Izuku let out a small smile as he let the air scooter vanish, his feet making contact with the ground. Kacchan had beaten him, but that was to be expected. No, what made Izuku happy was the fact that he had been able to keep pace with the boy nearly the entire time.

The rest of the tests flew by with Izuku performing decently in each of them, always placing in at least the top 10. In the side steps, he had gotten second place, using the earth to make him go faster, _though_ he thought as he winced _he wasn't doing that again_. While it had made him go faster, his legs now ached and burned from the overexertion. The boy who got first place was Mineta Minoru if Izuku was remembering correctly, a boy with grape puffs for hair. He had gotten 7th in the endurance run, with Kacchan getting 3rd and a girl named Yaoyorozu Momo getting 1st place as she created a motor scooter to ride around the track, something that Izuku found really interesting as his fingers itched to get a pen and write everything down. On the grip test, he had gotten a 64, the top score going to a boy named Shoji who was able to duplicate body parts. Finally, it was time for the ball throw. Izuku, who was impressed by his classmates' creativity throughout the entire test, now knew he had to employ his own. He watched as everyone went, the highlight being a girl with pink cheeks and brown hair who literally scored an infinity as she nullified the gravity on the ball and tossed it upwards. _Note to self, ask her how quirk works. Does it nullify gravity or mass_? He shook himself from his thoughts again, stepping forward as it was his turn. His eyebrows furrowed as he closed his eyes, allowing the familiar spark of one for all to course through his arm. _I'll do a mix of OFA with airbending, using the sheer strength from OFA to send it far and the airbending to propel it._ He nodded to himself focusing on 100% of OFA as he suddenly went to throw it. He went ramrod straight as the red veins died, his heart pounding as his connections to the elements disappeared and he nearly threw up.

 _Wh-what's happening to me._ He thought dizzily, dropping to the ground as he dug his fingers into the dirt, desperate to feel a connection that had always unconsciously been there. There was a buzzing sound in his ears as he turned towards his teacher, noticing the red eyes and floating hair.

"Y-you're Eraser..head." He croaked out, hands still uselessly clawing at the dirt. His classmates looked at him in shock, Ashido taking a small step forward before the arm of a girl with a long tongue wrapped around her own, the girl giving her a small shake of the head. Kacchan also took a step forward, his face twisted into a frown before he stopped himself, a small _tch_ leaving his lips as he focused in on the situation.

"I erased your quirk. You were going to use all of your power and break your body again just like you did at the entrance exam." His red eyes glared into Izuku's bare soul, the boy feeling exposed as his vision started to swirl with dark circles. He felt as if one of his senses had suddenly been stripped from him, and he felt a profound sense of loss. He felt empty, his breath quickening as his fingers dug into the ground hard enough to make the tips of his fingers start to bleed. _B-but erasure should have only erased OFA...it shouldn't have worked on my bending since it isn't a quirk..._ The analytical side of Izuku thought, shelving the thought for later. "You don't have what it takes to be a hero. You'll be nothing but a burden to everyone on the field, a liability that will turn yourself or someone else into a casualty." The man's harsh words pierced Izuku's core, a flashback of his mother's arms wrapped around him after the doctor had first declared him quirkless.

 _I'm so sorry Izu._ The thought disappeared as soon as it came as the red eyes turned back to black and Izuku's senses exploded. He let out a heaving sob as his sudden connection to the Earth returned, and he found himself bending a small pebble up just to make sure it was really there. He forced his tears of relief back as he staggered to his feet, Aizawa watching him the entire time as he noticed the effects of his quirk on the boy whom he deemed to have no potential. "Today, Midoriya. You may be doing well on the assessment, but in my eyes, you have no potential if all you deem to do is break your body." A sudden wave of unfamiliar hot anger rushed over Izuku as this man that he didn't even know told him that he didn't have the potential to be a hero. A pulse of white covered his eyes before they became green again, the teen's face set in a determined line. Placing the ball on the ground, he moved back until he was at the circle's edge and slid into a wide stance. He raised his right leg and stomped down on the ground hard, sending the ball sailing straight up into the air. _I'll show you, Sensei. I'm not a liability._ Red veins and crackling lightning appeared on his pointer and middle finger as he pulled them back by his thumb, holding his right arm with his left as if he was about to fire a weapon. His eyes tracked the trajectory of the now falling ball. _I will become a great hero no matter who tries to stop me!_ A snap of air left his fingers as the wind of OFA surged forward and wrapped around the ball, Izuku immediately spinning and twisting his arms around his body as he sent an additional gust propelling forward to send it crashing into the ball. He could hear his classmates mumbling in the background

"He has two quirks?"

"-No way, so manly!-"

"Go Midori!"

"What the fu-DEKU!" But he ignored all of them instead watching the ball until it disappeared from his sight. A soft his left his lips as he looked at his two throbbing fingers, making a mental note to himself to add something to his hero costume that could hold water before he sent his idea off to be created so that he'd at least be able to partially heal himself. He glanced at his teacher as the digital measure taker pinged.

"I can still stand Sensei." He gave his teacher a wide grin, the man giving him a deadpan stare. _This one is going to be a fucking problem child, isn't he_? The man mentally groaned to himself before showcasing the score to the class.

860.56 meters. If possible Midoriya's smile became even brighter as Eraserhead turned his attention to a board that had been outside. He pulled a remote out of nowhere and aimed it at the screen, clicking it once. A list of their names appeared with their results next to them, and Izuku was relieved to find himself at number 5. The person in last place was the grape boy, and Izuku couldn't help but send him a sympathetic glance.

"It was all a logical ruse. No one will be sent home." The grape boy suddenly started wailing in relief, though Izuku frowned when he realized the boy had mentioned something about boobs before he shook it off, he had probably just misheard him. "This is just the beginning. Don't get too comfortable." With that, they were dismissed.

* * *

Izuku was seriously exhausted. He looked forward to getting home and taking a shower, but as he exited the school building there was a familiar pink girl on the steps waving at him with a boy who had red spiky hair and sharp teeth standing next to her.

"Midori! Over here!" The green hair boy walked over to her, head tilted as he approached. He was curious about what she could want, and who the redhead next to her was.

"Hey! I'm Kirishima Eijiro. The way you proved Aizawa-Sensei wrong was really manly bro!" The redheaded teen smiled at him to reveal very sharp teeth and Izuku wondered if he had to worry about cutting his tongue on them.

"Hi Kirishima-kun, I'm Midoriya Izuku." He took the hand that was offered to him and shook it, glancing at Ashido. "If you guys don't mind, were you waiting for me?"

"Totally Midori!" Ashido was in his face again, her eyes closed as she smiled brightly at him. _So cute!_ His mind supplied, and he had to quickly lower his face so they wouldn't see his blush. "I was kinda hoping we could go grab ramen or something, I'm totally starved! And I never thanked you properly for saving me so yeah! Or if you have to go, we can walk you to the train station? Me and Eiji live in the same area so we normally go home together anyway." Something tugged at Izuku's heart as he stared at the two of them, a familiar mist overtaking his eyes. He had never really had someone his age invite him anywhere before, nevermind two people who were practically strangers. Izuku had half a mind to give in to his social awkwardness and say no, but he closed his eyes and inhaled once, deciding to take a chance. "Also, call me Mina!"

Izuku gave both of them a blinding smile, the two of them blinking in unison. _So bright!_ "You don't have to thank me Ashido, it was something anyone would do! But um, sure let me just text my mom and let her know-"

"Move it losers!" A shoulder slammed into him, sending Izuku staggering back. He caught a glance of red eyes glaring at him as the explosion user walked past, heading towards the gates. "Deku, are you catching the fucking train with me or what?" Izuku stared at him like a deer in headlights, but before he could speak, Ashido-Mina was already on it.

"He's coming to get ramen with us, you should come too, Bakugou right?" The explosion user stared at them like they were stupid, turning to walk away when Kirishima appeared behind him, placing a hand on the blonde's shoulder. Instead of blowing his hand up like Izuku thought he would, he shrugged the boy's hand off him roughly.

"Come on Bakubro, you're super manly. Come get manly ramen with us!" Kirishima slammed his hardened fists together, causing sparks to fly out. Kacchan stared at them all for another moment before shoving his hands deep into his pockets.

"Tch. They better have spicy shit, Shitty hair." Izuku snickered and Ashido-Mina, his mind supplied, let out a loud laugh. The group of 4 took off walking in the direction of a ramen shop that the pink girl swore was one of a kind, the setting sun shining down on them.

"You're wrong by the way, Midori." Izuku turned towards Mina with a questioning look. The black and gold eyes stared forward as she swung her arms back and forth. "You said that anyone would have saved me, but it wasn't anyone. It was you." She gave him a blinding smile and grabbed his hand, dragging him forward so that the four of them were walking down the road in a straight line. She casually threw an arm over Kirishima, saying something to him that caused him to laugh before she leered at Bakugou, saying something that sent Kacchan off on a cursing rampage. Izuku glanced over at all of them and let a soft smile grace his face. It was a new experience for him, hanging out with people. The only person that he had ever hung out with besides his mom and a technical spirit was All Might in his normal form, but never someone his age. A warm feeling covered his chest, made even warmer by the fact that Kacchan seemed to be making friends as well. It was a feeling that he would cherish for a long time, especially as this would be the last peaceful moment any of them had for a long time.


	8. Combat Trials

_Sena stumbled back, arms hastily coming up and crossing in an X as a heeled boot slammed into her hasty guard and easily breaking through it. The force from the kick sent her flying back, her back arching and a gasp leaving her lips as she slammed into a tree and crumpled to the ground._

_"Get up." There was suddenly a rough hand in her curls, yanking her to her feet as eyes of grey steel met dazed blue ones. The owner of those eyes sneered down at her, roughly releasing the now standing girl who reached a hand out to grasp the tree behind her. Her chest heaved as she reached an arm off and wiped the spit off of the corner of her mouth, watching the woman in front of her turn her back to her. A small breeze passed them, sending both sets of hair billowing the smallest amount backward, revealing a scar on the woman's face close to her throat that was covered up as her long brown hair fell back into place. "Your forms are sloppy Sena. Your effort is pathetic. If you intend on being a worthy Avatar, you must excel faster than this." Sena nodded firmly even though the woman couldn't see her. The normally crystal clear blue eyes that Izuku had come to know were instead dark and murky like a polluted lake, the expressive girl emotionless._

_"I'll do better." The 16 year old girl slid back into her stance, already prepared as the woman suddenly spun and lashed out with another devastating kick, forcing Sena to dodge by swerving to the side, and suddenly the brown haired woman was on her again, fists lashing out ruthlessly as the teen reacted as fast as she could, dodging most of the punches and countering with a few of her own, only to have a punch slip by her guard and slam into her nose, followed by a kick directly to her already bruised ribs. The girl staggered backward, a hiss leaving her lips as she shakily brought her guard back up, ignoring her gushing nose. The woman gave her a glare of what looked like frustration mixed in with disappointment, stalking forward like a predator about to consume their prey. Sena stood her ground, arms still up when a voice suddenly rang out._

_"That's enough for the day." A man with golden eyes strolled forward, arms crossed over his chest as he slid in front of Sena, obscuring her from the view of the grey eyed woman. "Thank you for your time, Sena will resume her combat lessons in a week's time." The woman glared at the man, rolling her eyes as she spun on her heel and left without another word to the Avatar or the man in front of her. The man watched as she left, suddenly twisting around as she was out of sight, his hands instinctively wrapping around Sena's forearms as the girl began to sink to the ground. "Are you sure you want to continue lessons with her Sena? She is rather brut-"_

_"Yes." Her voice was full of determination as she pressed her hand to her nose, blood escaping between her fingers. "I have to bear the pain in order to get stronger, I have to know how to fight-"_

_"Well, then I'll teach you." Sena's hooded eyes darted up as the man spoke, voice emotionless as he once again helped Sena to her feet. "I refuse to stand here and watch you be beaten into a pulp time after time in the name of learning to fight. If that's the case, then I'll teach you myself." Though Sena didn't smile, her face softened a bit as the man removed her hand from her nose and placed his own on it. She instinctively froze as the blood that was gushing down her face paused and suddenly began moving slowly back into her nose. When he removed his hand, the already dried blood and bruises still remained, but no more blood left from her nostrils._

_"Thanks, Juzo."_

* * *

Izuku sat with his head slumped against the wall, eyes half-lidded as he forced himself to pay attention to what Aizawa-Sensei was saying. He hadn't slept well the night before, filled with a sort of restless energy that didn't go away even after he had tried every meditation method that he had known in the book. In the end, he didn't fall asleep until nearly 4 am only to wake up a half-hour later to start his daily routine before heading to school. He could feel the eyes of at least two people on him, and when he glanced to the side he noticed Kirishima and Mina staring at him, Mina tilting her head in a clear question while Kirishima merely held up a thumb. Izuku gave both of them a sleepy nod, covering a yawn with his hand as the door was suddenly slammed open.

" **I AM HERE COMING THROUGH THE DOOR LIKE A NORMAL PERSON!** " Izuku gave his mentor a lazy look, listening as the rest of his classmates exploded in excitement.

"No way-"

"It's All Might!" The number one hero let out a loud laugh as Aizawa rolled his eyes and slid out of the room, heading towards the staff room in order to take a nap. All Might slid his large body behind the tiny podium, and Izuku forced himself not to chuckle at how silly his mentor looked.

" **HELLO STUDENTS! TODAY WE'LL BE ENGAGING IN A SPECIAL ACTIVITY, BUT FIRST-** " He clicked on a remote that had seemingly materialized out of nowhere, and right in front of Kacchan the wall faded away and 4 rows of suitcases slid out, numbered 1 through 20. The students let out oohs and aahs, Izuku perking up the smallest amount as he took an interest in what was going on. " **WHILE THERE ARE MANY IMPORTANT ASPECTS TO BEING A HERO, A HERO'S STYLE IS ALSO A BIG PART OF IT! YOU HAVE TO ACT THE PART, AND LOOK THE PART! EACH SUITCASE IS NUMBERED CORRESPONDING TO YOUR SEATS, GRAB YOUR SUITCASES AND MEET ME AT GROUND BETA AFTER YOU CHANGE**!" Izuku remained in his seat as the rest of the students hurriedly got up and grabbed their suitcases, moving languidly as the crowd dissipated from around them. He picked up his suitcase at the same time that Kacchan grabbed his, meeting the blonde's perpetually angry red stare with his own tired green one.

"You look like shit Deku." The blonde's tone was short but Izuku knew Katsuki long enough to know when the boy was feeling concerned for him. He flashed him a small smile, heading towards the door that All Might had exited out of moments before.

"Yeah, couldn't sleep last night." Katsuki fell in step beside him as they both headed towards the changing rooms near Ground Beta.

"I didn't ask why you looked like shit Deku. I just said that you looked like it." The green-haired boy let out a soft laugh, glancing down at his suitcase. He was excited to see how his costume held up to what he had sketched out himself and if they had been able to incorporate all of the items that he asked for. The two boys arrived at the changing rooms a few minutes after the rest of their classmates who were already going through the motions of pulling their costumes on. Izuku moved a little slower than he normally did, another yawn escaping his mouth. He pulled off his uniform and began putting on his costume, a smile crossing his face when he noticed that so far, it met his exact specifications. A hand tapped his shoulder and he turned around to see a boy with big lips holding out some kind of bar to him. He looked at him, the boy's name suddenly popping into his head.

"What's this, Sato?" The baker boy rubbed the back of his head as Izuku's hand wrapped around the bar.

"You look like you're tired and you're probably going to need the energy for whatever exercise we're about to do. I keep different kinds of snacks on me for my quirk, but that one is a plain energy bar. It should give you a little boost." The boy gave him a kind smile and turned back to his locker, continuing to change into his outfit. A wide smile crossed Izuku's face as he gave the boy a quiet thank you, taking a large bite out of the bar. By the time he had finished getting dressed and finished the bar, the other boys had already exited the locker room. He crumpled the wrapper up and threw it into the trash, sprinting down the hall that led to the entrance of Ground Beta.

" **-Looks like we're missing one-** "

"I'm here All Might-Sensei! Sorry!" All Might turned towards him, a contemplative look crossing his face as he took in Midoriya's hero outfit. The boy had on loose black pants that scrunched to a stop at his shins, black shin guards covering the bare skin that went down and met the top of red sneakers. A dark green long sleeve covered the top part of his body, bracers the color of his shin guards going up from his wrists to his shoulders. In the middle of his chest sat the symbols of the elements in gold stitching and a utility belt rested around his waist, two large sacks sitting on each of his hips, connecting his entire outfit together. An appreciative smile crossed All Might's face as he secretly gave his charge a thumbs up. It wasn't an outfit that he thought that Midoriya would wear, but it oddly suited the boy.

"Midori! You look so cool!" Izuku's cheeks went bright red as he looked at Mina's turquoise and purple outfit, forcing himself to keep his eyes on the girl's pouting face. "My outfit is supposed to make me look the part of an Alien Queen!" The fledgling Avatar gave his friend a small smile, rubbing the back of his head, allowing his eyes to roam over the rest of his classmates' outfits.

"Thanks, Mina. Everyone looks so good!" His attention was drawn in particular to Uraraka's outfit, he really liked the space theme look that it gave off and it went with her quirk perfectly. He made a mental reminder to let the girl know that later, turning his attention to All Might as he began to speak.

" **Each and every one of you looks AMAZING! Now that you look the part of a hero, it is time to act the part! Today we will start with COMBAT TRAINING!** " Almost immediately the blonde man was peppered with questions from Izuku's curious classmates.

"Are we at risk of getting expelled-"

"Can we murder people!"

"Will we be able to pick our partners-"

" **One at a time, my quirk isn't to read minds you know!** " The class settled down as All Might cleared his throat, fingers thumbing through his teaching manual before he slipped it into his back pocket. " **In the order of questions, no one is going to get expelled, absolutely not, and no you will be assigned by lots!** "

"Sensei, why lots?" Izuku didn't notice who spoke, but he piped up himself before All Might had a chance to.

"Sometimes as pro-heroes you're forced into situations where you have to work with the nearest available hero even if they aren't necessarily compatible to you and your quirk." All Might gave him another beaming grin, bending down and picking up a box that had balls in it.

" **Exactly, Midoriya! As a brief rundown, the objective of this training is as follows. In a building, the villains are hiding a bomb that will be used to level the city. The heroes jobs are to find the bomb and disarm the villains, the villains job is to stop the heroes from recovering the bomb. Now, come forth and grab a ball in order to pick your teams!** "One by one the students went forward and picked a ping pong ball out of the cardboard box. Izuku turned his ball over to see a blue letter D scribbled on it. He looked around, his eyes landing on the boy that would be his partner. He held up his ball and the boy strolled over to him, an easy going grin on his face.

"Hey Midoriya. Looks like we're partners eh?" The green haired boy nodded, giving the boy a smile of his own back.

"Looks like we are, Kaminari kun." Both of them turned away from each other and towards All Might as the man cleared his throat, a screen appearing in front of everyone.

" **The matchups are as follows!** "

Group A (Heroes): Uraraka Ochako & Asui Tsuyu vs Group E (Villains): Kirishima Eijiro, Yaoyorozu Momo

Group J(Heroes): Todoroki Shoto & Ashido Mina vs Group B (Villains):Tokoyami Fumikage & Hagakure

Group C(Heroes): Aoyama Yuga & Sero Hanta vs Group G(Villains): Jiro Kyoka & Sato Rikido

Group I(Heroes):Bakugou Katsuki & Ojiro Mashirao vs Group D(Villains):Kaminari Denki & Midoriya Izuku

Group F(Heroes) Iida Tenya & Mineta Minoru vs Group H(Villains): Koda Koji & Shoji Mezo

If Izuku had been the type to swear, he was pretty sure he would be cursing up a storm by now. _Of course, I would have to face Kacchan_. He chewed on his bottom lip unconsciously, mind racing as a hand suddenly clapped itself onto his shoulder. He turned around to see a boy with blonde hair that had a black lightning bolt streak in it smiling at him, his golden eyes bright.

"Yo, Midoriya. Let's do our best yeah? Hopefully, we don't go first-"

" **GROUP I AND GROUP D WILL GO FIRST, VILLAINS PROCEED INTO THE BUILDING AND BEGIN YOUR PLANNING!** " A groan left Izuku's lips as Kaminari smiled sheepishly, rubbing his hand on the back of his neck as the two began the walk into the building.

"Oops, sorry about that Midoriya. Didn't mean to jinx us." The green-haired boy gave his classmate a small smile, both of them pausing as they entered the building. From the plans that they had been given by All Might, the bomb was located on the 5th floor, but the teacher had never said that they couldn't move it.

"It's alright Kaminari-kun. I do have a plan that I want to share though if that's alright with you?" The golden-eyed boy glanced at his companion and nodded as they made their way up the stairs, a sly smirk crossing his face as the plan was explained to him. From what he had observed of his two classmates that they were up against, this plan was a near surefire way to win.

"Sounds like a plan, Midoriya-kun." He held his hand out for a fist bump, Midoriya looking at him for a moment before returning the gesture. A bright fire burned in both of the boys' eyes as they spoke in unison.

"Let's do our best!"

* * *

_Kacchan-Bakugou will immediately try to come after me. We have a sort of history and he'll feel as though he'll need to fight me one on one. Ojiro will probably get sent ahead, and I don't know much about him but from his hero costume, he probably has some martial arts knowledge. Our best bet for him will be for you to strike hard and fast without giving him time to react to you physically. This could help._

Izuku leaned against the wall on the 2nd, hair covering his eyes as he forced himself into his villain role. He was alone in the stairwell, but he wouldn't be for long. He could hear the two heroes arguing as they came up the steps, and he uncapped the lone canteen that sat on his hip, bending a whip of water out of it before recapping it again. He didn't want to risk using up all of his supply of water in one attack. Green eyes darted behind him, calculating the distance between the steps that led to the second floor, and the steps that led to the third floor. Luckily for him, the building that they were currently in was situated in a way that the stairwells went straight up before they curved, and unluckily for the heroes, the curve was a blindspot that hid the floor from their eyes until they were actually on it. He stood eerily still, waiting to see who the first person up the steps would be. His plan relied on his knowledge of Kacchan being proud enough to not walk behind anyone, but if Ojiro came up the steps first then Izuku would adapt accordingly. He slowly began to move as he heard the steps getting closer, and a rare flush of pride ran through him as his observation came true and ash-blonde hair was the first thing that appeared at the top of the step.

"Hey Kacchan. You aren't going anywhere else you know?" An un-Deku like smirk crossed his face as he tilted his head back, one piercing green eye peering out from the shadows as he slid into his villain role, unconsciously channeling the one personality he had been around nearly as much as he had been around Katsuki. Time seemed to move in slow motion as he watched Bakugou's eyes narrow, his hand coming up with the familiar sparks of forming explosions-and Izuku moved. A large gust of air shot out of his right hand and he threw himself forward, sending the explosion user skidding down a hallway. He whipped around towards the now charging Ojiro, throwing himself out of the way of what would have been a powerful kick, sending out the stream of water that he had encircled around his wrist. He wrapped it around Ojiro's ankle and propelled the boy up the steps to the third floor, tapping his earcom as he turned and darted down a hallway opposite to the one he had blown his red-eyed classmate down.

"Kaminari-kun, Ojiro is incoming towards you! I tossed him up the third-floor stairs, I don't think he's going to come back down for me!"

"On it, Midoriya-kun!" The coms went silent as both users disconnected from them, Izuku making seemingly random twists and turns until he landed in one of the biggest rooms in the building, one that was directly below where they hid the real bomb. It was risky fighting here, especially knowing the damage that Kacchan's explosions could deal, but it would also provide Izuku the opportunity to further defend the bomb if needed. He would be able to use OFA and airbending to punch a hole in the ceiling, and even though his arm would be useless after that, anyone who was in the room would fall to where he was and he would be able to keep the bomb suspended in midair long enough for Denki to join him and shock them all into submission. But that was the last resort. He spun on his heel, back to the window as he slid into one of the many airbending stances that he knew as the sound of explosions began to faintly reach his ear. Air was really the only element he would be able to freely use at the moment, he couldn't risk earth bending because he didn't want to cause the building to collapse, he didn't dare use firebending against anyone, not when he was as untrained in it as he was, and he only had a limited supply of water on him. Air would have to be his best choice.

"You thought you could run from me Shitty Deku?" The blonde's eyes were alight with fury and Izuku cracked his neck, sliding deeper into his stance as his hair slowly began to rise from the air pressure building up around him.

"Who said anything about running, Kacchan?" He met the feral smirk with a small smile of his own as explosions met his response.

"Bring it, Deku!" Explosions rocked the floor as the two charged forward to meet.

* * *

Denki was surprised when Midoriya had shared his plan with him. He had almost expected the boy to take over and defend the bomb himself since he had such a versatile quirk compared to Kaminari, but when he voiced that, Midoriya had given him a confused look.

_"Hey, Midoriya. Wouldn't it be easier for you to defend the bomb yourself, since your quirk is so powerful? How can you trust me to do it?" Green eyes blinked up at him and Midoriya tilted his head to the side, green hair brushing against his cheeks._

_"Why would I do that? It's a team exercise, right? Did you want something in the plan to change-"_

_"No!" Denki hurriedly interjected at the confused look in the boy's eye. "I was just..my quirk isn't as useful and-"_

_"Your quirk is totally useful Kaminari-kun!" A hand on his shoulder broke him out of his thoughts as emerald eyes bore into golden ones. Midoriya's face was set in a determined smile as he spoke. "Your quirk is really powerful Kaminari-kun, you honestly have the potential to be one of the strongest in the class if you can gain control of your shortages. My quirk is useful too, but it has its drawbacks in that I'm limited to what's around me in order to use it, and even then when I use the extreme side of it-I get injured really easily. Your quirk is really cool, so don't think that it isn't useful. Every quirk is useful in its own way. Besides-don't you think you can defend the bomb well?" Denki stared at his classmate with wide eyes, a bright smile crossing his face as he nodded firmly._

_"Yes I can! Thanks, Midoriya."_

Rather than pushing him out, the boy had made sure to integrate Denki into his plan and make sure that he had Denki's input in it. His eyes narrowed in determination as he took the canteen that Midoriya had given him and opened it, pouring the water on the floor as he walked backward until the canteen was empty. He allowed the familiar feeling of electricity to race up and down his body, reaching up to pull down his shades as he ran through the plan again in his head.

_"You can control the voltage of your electricity right?" The blonde hair boy nodded, his eyes skimming the building plan that they had been given. "So theoretically, you can put it at a high enough voltage to knock someone out without killing them?"_

_"Yeah I can, I use the lower voltages the best. The higher I go, the more likely I am to short out and become a little-uh-idiotic for a while. I can enhance it with conductive things as well, so if I combine a lower voltage with say water or metal-"_

_"Water, you said?" Golden eyes landed on the canteen that Midoriya had just put his hands on as Denki figured out what Midoriya was hinting at._

He dropped the canteen behind him, rising to his feet as Ojiro suddenly burst into the open hallway, kicking off of the walls and twisting in order to land a devastating kick. Kaminari threw himself out of the way, rolling along the wet floor, hissing as the kick grazed his head and knocked his glasses off of his face.

"Sorry about this Kaminari, but I'm looking to end this quickly. Where's the bomb?" The tailed boy landed on the wet floor, glancing down with a frown as his bare feet made contact with it. Denki allowed his electricity to race down his arms and into his palms, slamming his hands into the water puddled underneath him. The sparks raced forward, and he watched as Ojiro convulsed for a minute before hitting the ground, not unconscious but clearly stunned as Denki rose to his feet.

 **3 MINUTES REMAINING**. All Might's voice boomed through the intercom in the building, sending Denki flying into action.

"Glad we're on the same page." He ran forward before Ojiro could get his bearings, sliding a white roll of tape out of his pocket as he lunged, looping it around Ojiro's arm. He secured it tightly just as the shock wore off, Ojiro letting out a tsk as All Might's voice boomed through the intercoms again.

**"OJIRO OF THE HERO TEAM HAS BEEN CAPTURED!"**

"Good match, Ojiro." Denki bent down, holding out a hand that Ojiro clasped. He went to tug him to his feet when an explosion suddenly rocked the building, sending both boys to the floor. They looked at each other with wide eyes, Denki immediately slamming his hand on his earcom.

"Izuku, are you there? Are you okay?"

But only silence answered him.

* * *

"Bring it, Deku" Izuku threw himself out of the way of an explosion, the heat searing his back as he hit the ground rolling. The moment he was back on his feet he sent out a burst of air that Katsuki dodged by blasting himself into the air. The ash-blonde twisted in mid-air, an arm going behind him as he blasted himself back down to the floor and sent himself propelling forward with another explosion. Izuku's thoughts were racing as he hurriedly analyzed the situation. He looked for any possible openings and there-

 _You always start with your right arm Kacchan!_ An explosion back punch lanced at him from the right but he was ready for it, spinning on his heel so that his back was to Katsuki as the punch slid past him, his front facing the boy as both his arms clamped themselves on the gauntlet covered arm. He heaved with all his might and judo flipped him, Katsuki's back arching off the floor and spit leaving his mouth as Izuku immediately followed up by launching Katsuki into the air with a burst of air bending hard enough to cause the boy to hit the ceiling. Izuku internally winced, hoping that it knocked the boy out because if not he wasn't sure he was going to make it. Already sweat was beading down his body and his breath was coming in pants. Realistically, even after all this time he still had a long way to go when it came to his stamina. He watched as the boy hit the floor, unmoving.

 **OJIRO OF THE HERO TEAM HAS BEEN CAPTURED**! All Might's voice through the intercom had Izuku internally cheering as he went to touch his earcom. He gave Kacchan another glance and slowly began to make his way over to him, removing the capture tape from his pocket when suddenly he was blasted backward and slammed into the wall. It was his turn for his back to arch and spit to leave his mouth as he collapsed in a heap.

"Did you think that was enough to knock me out, Deku?" The earth-tone clad boy pushed himself to his feet, wiping the spit from the corner of his mouth as he made eye contact with the hero, blood dripping down the side of Katsuki's face. Izuku didn't respond, instead throwing himself forward as he uncapped his canteen, bending the rest of the water out. The two boys charged each other once more, Deku ducking under one of Katsuki's punches only to get caught by a kick that left him winded-and then Katsuki was in his face with a raised palm and Izuku reacted instinctively, throwing his hands up, the water splashing against Katsuki's hands leaving them momentarily useless. He sent the blonde skidding back with a burst of air, his back to the window as he watched Bakugou rise to his feet once more, rage truly evident in his eye as he raised his palm.

"You can't use your quirk, Kacchan. Your hand is wet."

"You think I don't fucking know that, Deku? I wasn't planning on using that anyway. You know, this gauntlet isn't just for show. It stores my sweat." A crazed look crossed his face, a horror-filled one crossing Izuku's.

 **2 MINUTES REMAINING**! Izuku took a step backward, his body pressing up against the glass of the window.

"Kacchan you can't-"

"Watch me-"

" **Young Bakugou! Do not use that weapon, it could seriously injur** -" All Might's words were cut off with Bakugou's response.

"Not if he dodges!" Anything else that would have been said was cut off as Katsuki's gauntlet roared, the massive explosion reflected in Izuku's eyes as it raced toward him. It came fast-nearly too fast and Izuku moved out of pure instinct, diving towards the explosion instead of away. His palms slammed into each other as he held them like a knifes edge, using them to part through the flames of the explosion. He hissed as he felt the heat searing his body, his eyebrows starting to burn off, wisps of flame catching on his costume and setting parts of it alight-and then he was out of the fire and hit the ground rolling. He came up on his knees and slammed his hand against the ground, the entire foundation of the building shaking as red veins danced across his skin, the rubble around them rising. He raised his burnt and bleeding head, emerald eyes narrowed into slits as the flames danced in the background behind him.

"If you wanted me dead that bad Kacchan, should have just said so." The ash-blonde boy stared, his back ramrod straight as he looked at the boy who he had thought he had just killed. Seeing Deku alive but bleeding sent a small tint of relief through his heart as he moved into his normal stance, now dry hands popping in a challenge. A wild smirk crossed his face as he crouched low, hands flying back as he prepared to blast himself forward.

"I shouldn't have to say anything Deku! Just die already!" Explosions propelled him forward and Izuku gave him a dark smile as the rubble around him began to rise. He readied himself to launch them at Katsuki-

 **TIME! THE VILLAIN TEAM WINS**! Both teens instantly stopped in their tracks, rubble dropping to the ground, explosions coming to a halt. The ash-blonde rolled his eyes as he walked over to the still kneeling boy, roughly pulling him to his feet. "Are you going to die before the shitty medical robots get here?"

"I don't think-" He took a single step forward and his world swam, black tinting the edge of his vision. He blinked furiously to get the black dots out of his eyes and looked up at Katsuki's sudden swear. "What?"

"Look at your hands, stupid nerd." Izuku looked down and tilted his head at them.

"Huh. I might possibly die Kacchan." His hands were a bruised and blotchy purple, and from the way his fingers looked on his right hand, they were possibly broken-and definitely burnt. He let out a low groan as the pain suddenly slammed into him, tears pooling in his eyes. He hadn't remembered breaking his fingers, but he did remember the red veins of OFA springing to life on his arm as he slammed his palm into the ground in order to rumble the building. Maybe it was that-

"Tch. Let's go, nerd." He didn't say a word as Kacchan steadied him, the boy leading him out of the ruined room and into the hallway. They ran into Kaminari and Ojiro along the way, Katsuki immediately passing him off to Kaminari. "Take care of your stupid teammate."

"Oi, Midoriya! What happened to you? We felt the explosion and then the building rumbled again-"

But Izuku was no longer paying attention, his eyes closing as he allowed the darkness that had been at the edge of his vision to swallow him whole.


	9. Leadership

" _When a world is at war, leadership is extremely important. Would you be able to tell me why, Izuku?" The 11 year old leaned forward a bit, placing his right elbow on his knee and leaning his chin against his palm. He stared forward silently, his lips moving without making a sound-something that Sena had been working on with him. It probably wouldn't last long, but it would at least make him more aware of his habit. At least she hoped._

" _Does it have something to do with morale? It would make sense that a poor leader would not be able to inspire morale in the same way that a good leader would. It also is important because of the actions that the leader would take right?"_

" _What kind of actions?"_

" _Like whether to retreat or engage in the fight right?" Sena gave him a short nod, a small smile covering her face._

" _You're right on both accounts Izuku. Leadership is extremely important for morale. If a person is a good leader, they make their comrades feel as though they are on equal footing and that everyone matters. It makes the people feel heard and more likely to listen to the leader's orders. A good leader also knows when a battle is lost and a retreat needs to be issued, or when a battle needs the right push to turn the tides. Before we end our lesson today, I want you to know that there are many different types of leaders but from my experience, there seems to be two main methods of rule. Adoration and fear. A leader that rules by adoration never has to worry about being stabbed in the back by their comrades but they do have to struggle more to maintain it. A leader that rules by fear may be more at risk for attacks against their life, but because they are so ruthless people wouldn't even begin to think that way. Personally, I think you have more to fear from the leader who is able to charm their minions, they tend to have a lot more charisma and can be trickier to handle."_

" _What kind of leader were you, when you were alive Sena-sensei?" The small smile would have disappeared had Sena not forced it to remain on her face, though it became a bit tighter. Images of people smiling and laughing around her flashed through her mind, immediately followed by scenes of blood and silent screaming. Her curly bangs fell into her eyes as she removed her glasses, allowing them to dangle by her glowing blue fingertips. The memories disappeared almost as quickly as they came, leaving her grasping at fragments._

" _I think...I think I was both."_

* * *

 _12:45 A.M._ Izuku gave a glance to his All Might alarm clock and rubbed his eyes. He sat up straight, allowing his back to relax from the hunched over position he had been in moments before, setting his pencil on the desk in front of him as he massaged his aching wrists. He didn't realize it was so late, and a yawn escaped his lips as he leaned forward once more, looking over his jotted down notes. Though he hadn't had time to think about it the day prior due to combat training and his subsequent recovery after it, the moment he had laid down to sleep the thought attacked him and wouldn't disappear until he rose to his feet and turned on his lamp on his wooden desk.

 _How was Aizawa-Sensei able to shut off my connection to the elements?_ He had tried desperately to connect with Sena in order to see if she would be able to answer him, but that had been a failure. He had even attempted to connect with Raava seeing as she was literally the spiritual connection that allowed him to hold all four elements at once anyway, but the spirit was radio silent as well, which of course led to him brainstorming something that could have caused the change, and out of all the common denominators, the only one he could find was One For All. _All Might did say that I passed out in a ball of white light and green lightning after I managed to use the Avatar State along with OFA for the first time. Maybe they interacted with each other and formed a bond?_ Without realizing it, he had once again picked up his pencil and began jotting down his thoughts once more. _But how would that make sense? One for All was a quirk that was passed down by DNA...but bending was genetic, wasn't it? If he remembered correctly, Sena had once mentioned that her mother and father had both been waterbenders...Sena became the Avatar because Raava chose her, but that could have only been because Sena had been born a waterbender anyway..._ He brought the pencil to his lips, chewing on the eraser as he glanced at the clock once more.

 _12:57_. He let out a short sigh before putting his pencil down and closing his notebook. Slightly scarred hands rubbed viridian eyes and Izuku leaned forward, allowing his hair to flop in front of his face. He didn't have the time to finish thinking about it now, he would have to be up in about 4-5 hours in order to get his meditation and stretches in before he had to head to school. Maybe Eraserhead would humor him if he asked him to use erasure on him again, only this time he would make sure that he didn't display such a negative reaction to it….He shook himself out of his current train of thought and rose to his feet, shuffling back over to his bed where he crawled under the covers. He would leave all of his thoughts for the morning.

He was asleep the minute his messy curls hit the pillow, and that night Izuku dreamed.

_The air was silent and still, not even the creatures of the forest making movement or noise. The common wind that normally darted throughout the trees, rustling the pines and leaves, sending thistles and floating star-shaped items down to the ground, was nonexistent. The tranquil air was replaced with one of tension, the forest seemingly holding its breath. Izuku found himself on a dirt path through the forest, his body moving forward on its own almost as if he had been here before. His bare feet stepped on thistles and thorns, but he felt no pain as he continued his mindless walk. A force was pulling him to the middle of the forest, a voice was begging for him to help. He took another step forward, crossing an invisible barrier as the screaming started all at once._

_The trees were wailing in agony, little tiny forest critters scampering around the forest floor, their tiny shrieks magnified by the sound of cracking and exploding wood. The normally calm breeze was whipped into a frenzy, rushing through the trees like a linebacker, sending branches and limbs alike to the ground where they were consumed by the orange dancing below. Heat slammed into Izuku but he did not sweat, his glazed green eyes roving over the destruction with an almost curious look as he took a single step forward._

_Help us! The forest demanded. Izuku reached a steady hand out, paying no heed to the branches falling around him, paying no attention to the fire dancing around his legs, trying to get close enough to burn him only to shy away at the last moment. His legs followed the direction of his pointing hand, coming to a stop only 15 steps away from where he had stood prior, the center of what had become an inferno. Here the screams of the forests were muted, with only the roar and crackling of the fire as it established its dominance reaching his ears. The heat was scorching here as the oppressive heat slammed into his pajama-clad body, the fire pushing against him, willing itself to burn him, to destroy and consume him._

" _Touch it." A voice whispered in his ear. "Master it." The voice spoke once more, echoing with the voices of a thousand others. "You have mastered it a thousand times in a thousand lifetimes. Do it again." Yes, that was what he would do. Smoke rose into the sky, threatening to obscure his vision as the fire shrieked in a rage at being denied. Closing his eyes to protect them from the smoke, he flowed forward as if he was water, plunging his right hand into the flames. Almost immediately the angry cries of the fire stopped, instead replaced by anguished wails as the brilliant orange of the flames flared once, the color suddenly changing to a bright emerald green. The color change raced through the forest until every flame burning was the color of the gem. Removing his unharmed hand from the fire, the teenager shook his hand once and spoke, his voice intermingled with those who came before him._

" _You are mine to tame, and mine to use. Begone until I call for you." The fluttering of the flames stopped for an instant, the forest still holding its breath-_

_And then the forest breathed and the flames rushed inwards towards Izuku, smothering the boy in flames._

Izuku woke up feeling as though he was burning. He shot to his feet, only to slam into the floor as his feet tangled themselves in his sheets, sweat beading on his brow with a heaving chest as he wondered how many times he would wake up like this. He didn't know what had happened, he only remembered bright green flames and being suffocated before he woke up in his dazed and flustered state. Untangling himself from his sheets he moved until he was on his knees, tired eyes reading his clock. _4:56_. Great. He had only gotten four hours of sleep, but what was that dream…?

 _Use it._ He remembered. The image of the flames burned behind his eyelids once more, and he may have imagined it but he thought he felt his internal temperature rise for a moment. _Use it_. Could he-? He lifted his right palm up and squeezed his eyes shut, allowing the familiar feeling of fire to overtake him as he willed a single flame to come into existence over his palm. Peeking one eye open, he let out a startled gasp. His other eye shot open as he wrestled the flames back under control, it had flared with his emotions. He had fire bent before, a few times when he was far away from home, and had been practicing his bending with Sena. She really was not the best with fire and was thus unable to teach him the way that he needed. Bending the orange flames had come easily to him, and he had attributed it to his father having a fire quirk, but after the incident where he had nearly set an entire forest on fire while practicing with his flames- he had refused to use it since. Fire was destruction, it was dangerous-

But as he looked at the green flame, watching as it twirled and danced along his palm, reminding him of blades of grass dancing in a breeze.

He remembered that fire was also life too.

* * *

"You look like shit, again, Deku." Izuku had barely taken his seat at his desk before Kacchan was insulting him, but underneath it, Izuku could feel the nearly nonexistent concern. He could also feel the stares of both Ashido, _Mina_ his mind supplied, and Kirishima on him. Even more interesting, Todoroki seemed to be staring at him as well, though as Izuku looked at him and caught the contemplative look, he wasn't quite sure if that one was more out of concern or curiosity.

"Thanks for telling me Kacchan. I'm fine though." He directed his calming smile at his other two friends, Kirishima giving him a thumbs up while Mina gave him the universal signal for _I'm keeping my eye on you_ by putting her index and pointer finger to her eyes and then pointing them at him. He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly and turned to face the board as the door slid open, their resident caterpillar slinking in.

"Good morning." The class echoed the greeting back as the tall man unzipped himself from his sleeping bag and rose to his feet, coming to a stop behind his desk. "We have a bit of work to do today."

"Is it another battle-"

"-Are we going to be with All Might-"

"-Are there going to be girls involved-"

"QUIET" The class went silent instantly and Izuku stifled a gasp as his connection to the elements disappeared once more. It wasn't as bad as it had been the first time around, but it was still jarring to suddenly be without one of his senses. The red glow of their teacher's quirk slowly died down as his hair lowered to his shoulders, the man rubbing his eyes with the heels of his hands. "Stop making me use my quirk, dammit, I have dry eyes!" The underground hero scowled at them for a moment before moving on as if the interruption hadn't just occurred. "You're going to be picking class representatives."

Izuku deadpanned as the rest of the class seemed to follow suit, all of them thinking the same thing "So normal!" Everyone had started shouting for everyone to vote for them at once, at least until Iida stepped up and demanded that everyone vote so that it would be fairer. Izuku had stopped paying attention after he had turned in his slip, having voted for Kirishima. He knew a little bit about the boy from hanging out with him after school, and he thought that Kirishima's outgoing personality would be perfect since he was able to cool the normally aggressive Katsuki down to a level that was less...Katsuki like. He was focusing on his journal, jotting more down about his quirk with silently moving lips when a palm suddenly slammed down on his desk and sent him leaning back in his seat.

"What?" He looked up to find everyone's eyes on him, the green-haired boy blanching as he had wondered what he missed.

"You won the presidency, Deku-kun!" He looked over to where Uraraka had spoken, tilting his head in confusion until the words she had said replayed in his mind. He immediately snapped his head towards the board, noticing that he had managed to get 4 votes where the VP, Yaoyorozu had only gotten 2.

"I-er-" He would have remained frozen in his desk had Kacchan not literally manhandled him up out of his chair and pushed him forward to the front where Yaoyorozu was standing, muttering under her breath. Izuku spared her a small glance, her eyes suddenly snapping up to meet his with a bit of a glare present on her face. He merely gave her a small smile as he took his place next to her. He was tempted to immediately vacate the position, he had never wanted to be class rep and didn't think about being it at all-but then his talk with Yagi-San floated through his mind from the other day.

" _Psst, Midoriya-shounen!" Izuku looked up from where his face was buried in his notebook, only to let out a startled shriek and jump backward as he came face to face with a skeletal like figure whose bright blue eyes were gleaming with mirth. "Come get ice cream with me!"_

" _Yagi-san, did you follow me home?" He gave the man an amused glance as the blonde spewed blood from his lips, absently handing the man one of the many handkerchiefs that he carried on him as a result of spending so much time with the Number 1 hero. Yagi Toshinori accepted it gratefully, using it to wipe his mouth before tucking it into his own pocket._

" _Why of course I did! I couldn't just approach you at the school could I?" He gave his young charge a bright smile, both of them chatting about nonsensical things as they made their way to the ice cream shop. Yagi got a sugar-free froyo as it was the easiest thing on his body since he lacked a stomach, while Midoriya got a vanilla cone with rainbow sprinkles. The two sat on a bench in a relatively empty spot of the ice cream lot, both of them watching the birds flutter around, picking at the seed that the ice cream shop owner normally scattered out every morning. "I actually did want to speak with you about something, Midoriya-shounen."_

" _What is it? Is everything okay, Yagi-San?" The blonde haired man nodded, eating a spoonful of his frozen treat before he began speaking once more._

" _Everything is fine Midoriya-shounen. I just wanted to bring something to your attention. You know how I intend on having you take my mantle as the symbol of peace?" Izuku nodded, licking a long stripe of his ice cream that had started to melt. "In order to do that, you need to start showcasing yourself now as a freshman. Normally I would say you need to just stand out at the Sports Festival, something which I would still like you to do-but you also know that having comrades to have your back is something invaluable to a hero."_

" _Where are you going with this, Yagi-San?" Blue eyes pierced green ones as the man used his pink spoon to eat another scoop of froyo._

" _You'll need to establish yourself as a leader within your class. How you do that is up to you, but you need to build a circle of people that you can come to rely on." Images of his new friends Kirishima and Mina popped into his head, followed by the images of Uraraka and Iida, two people that he had managed to befriend at random simply by walking home to the train station after the combat exercise with them. Urakaka had been worried about him despite not knowing him, and Iida being her friend had decided to wait for her. The three teens had found that they had a lot in common during that walk. Even Kaminari made his way in there, the two of them having bonded a bit during the exercise itself. He almost protested, not seeing the point in establishing himself as a leader when a familiar voice seemingly whispered in his ear._

" _Whether you like it or not, kid, you're going to be a leader one day." He shook his head as if clearing his ears and inhaled slowly before nodding in determination._

" _Alright, I'll do it." Toshinori gave him a thumbs up before his smile turned into a grin as he pointed at Izuku's dripping ice cream cone. The boy let out a yelp and hurriedly licked it all up, his cheeks turning red with mortification as his mentor laughed at him._

" _Also kid, what are you doing this weekend? There's someone that I'm going to want you to meet."_

He would keep his word and at least attempt to do his best in his leadership role. If he felt as though he was lacking in it, then he would step down and pass it to someone else until he was able to properly bear that role.

"Did you have anything you wanted to say, Midoriya?" Yaoyorozu's voice brought him back to the present as he turned bright red at having been caught not paying attention once again. He flushed even deeper when he heard his VP's tsk of disappointment along with her mutter that she should have been chosen.

"U-u-um actually I-I d-do. T-thanks for e-electing me." His eyes skimmed over the class and he noticed his pink-skinned friend pulling at her cheeks with her fingers, her free ones tapping her cheeks in a message. He frowned at her as she pulled her cheeks wider and-oh! A blinding smile suddenly swept across his face as he beamed at his classmates, forcing himself to stand up straighter. "I hope to do my best by you all, and as such, I hope that we can all push each other to our greatest heights, plus ultra!" The rest of the class sans Bakugou cheered with him, Yaoyorozu giving him a small smile of apology which he accepted easily. The bell rang at that moment and Aizawa waved them out of the classroom, disappearing under his desk in order to take a nap.

"Deku-kun! Your speech was amazing!" Uraraka had appeared next to him, her brown eyes glittering as she grinned widely at him, pumping her fist in the air. "You're going to be great!"

"I agree, Midoriya. Such a rousing speech!" Deku blanched at Iida's robotic arm movements, letting out a slight chuckle. He waved at Mina and Kirishima as they both yanked Bakugou out of the door, and he turned back to Iida and Uraraka.

"Thanks guys, I was really nervous. Wanna eat lunch together?" His two friends nodded and together they walked out of the classroom, talking about what to expect for the future.

* * *

The atmosphere of U.A's cafeteria was bright, alight with the laughter of students from all courses and all grades. The last student had just collected their meal from Lunch Rush and had sat down to eat when suddenly the alarm system began blaring as a robotic voice came over U.A's intercom.

"There has been a security level 3 breach. Please evacuate." At a table full of heroic students from class 1-A, a girl with brown hair frowned as she leaned away from the table towards another one, tapping a 2nd year student on their shoulder.

"What's a level 3 security breach?" Her words floated through the silence that had descended over the cafeteria, and almost all at once people rose from their seats and began forcing their way through towards the exit.

"It means someone has infiltrated the school, we gotta get out of here!" Izuku rose to his feet, his hands reaching out and grabbing Uraraka as she was almost trampled by the stampeding students.

"Thanks Deku-kun! Someone is gonna get hurt this way!" The green haired boy nodded, his eyes darting around for their other friend who they had sat with. The engine quirk user was by the window, waving his hands wide as he shouted as loud as he dared.

"Midoriya! Uraraka! It's just the press!" Izuku's mind began flowing a mile a minute, he had to find some way to calm the students down and alert them that it wasn't a real emergency before someone got hurt. _What to do...what to do!_ He glanced towards Uraraka again to make sure she was still there when suddenly a lightbulb went off in his mind.

"Uraraka! Can you make me float?" The girl nodded and moved without hesitation, tapping his shoulder with all 5 pads of her fingers. The second he felt the weight (he still had yet to ask her if she actually nullified gravity or if she was able to cancel out mass) disappear from his body, he used a precise stream of airbending to send himself flying into the air. Another gust sent him flying to the top of the front door where he turned and let out another gust of wind strong enough to rustle the hair of the panicking students.

"EVERYONE, IT'S JUST THE PRESS!" He pointed to the window that Iida was currently pressed up against. "PLEASE REMAIN CALM AND GO TO YOUR EVACUATION LOCATIONS IN AN ORDERLY MANNER SO THAT NO ONE GETS HURT!" The students began muttering as they made their way forward in a much calmer manner than before. He found himself suddenly falling as Uraraka's quirk was released, only to be caught by the boy with the octo arms- _Shoji_. "Thank you, Shoji." The boy gave him a nod and set him on the ground as they all headed back to their classrooms.

"Midoriya! That was so manly!" A hand clapped on his back as they walked into the classroom, Izuku not even having to glance back to know that his eyes would have been met with a shock of red hair.

"Thanks Kirishima-Kun, I did what anyone would have done."

"Nonsense! Excellent job controlling the situation, Midoriya." Iida's voice cut through the air and the rest of the class began agreeing with him. They all took their seats, Izuku sliding deep down into his, his face flushed red with embarrassment. Moments later their homeroom teacher strolled into the room, a deep scowl on his face.

"I hate the media." The man muttered before addressing the class. "As your representatives are chosen, you will all be dismissed in around a half hour as the press continues to clear out. We'll have you exit through a different door as a precaution. Final announcement, we are going on a field trip of sorts on Friday so make sure you're on time. Anyone that isn't here by the time the first bell rings will be left behind, and anyone left behind will be expelled. Talk amongst yourselves _quietly_ until I dismiss you." The man settled down into his chair, eyes closed as he seemingly went to sleep. The children chatted amongst themselves, not knowing that in two days time their peace was going to be disrupted.

* * *

Outside the main U.A building stood the principal of the school, Principal Nezu. The bear/rat man stood with his arms behind his back observing the disintegrated barrier with a high degree of interest. Around him stood the pro-heroes Snipe and Present Mic.

"What do you think this was, Nezu?" Snipe didn't look at the man as he spoke, eyes roving around the entryway with his right hand pressed to the gun holster that sat on his right hip.

"It's not a what, but rather a who." He rubbed the ashes of the barrier between his fingers, eyes bright as his quirk analyzed the situation. "Present Mic, go retrieve Power Loader for me so that he can fix the barrier, please." The loud man nodded before turning on his heel and strolling off quickly. "We must be prepared for anything." He remarked to himself, knowing that Snipe was listening closely.

"This was no mere accident, and it wasn't the press. This was a declaration of war."


	10. USJ

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Sena, have you ever killed anyone?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If it hasn't become entirely clear by now, you can definitely tell what chapters I'm passionate about when I write them lol. One thing about me is sometimes a scene will come to me in my head and won't leave until I write it down, those are the chapters that I find the easiest to write because my brain actually works with me. The ones that don't come to me I struggle with because it would take forever to wait for them to come lol.

" _Sena, have you ever killed anyone?" 12-year-old Izuku didn't even look up from where he was jotting down new quirk information in his hero analysis journal as he asked the question, causing him to miss the dark look that briefly crossed Sena's face. The water bending avatar leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees, blowing a curl out of her eyes. They sat in a park not too far from Midoriya's apartment, Izuku having just got out of school. The boy was sporting a bandage on his face, something that probably came from another incident with that Bakugou kid._

" _Why do you ask, kid? Are you planning a string of murders or something?" She raised an eyebrow at him, watching as his face flushed red and he dropped his notebook, looking up at her with wide eyes. He hurriedly raised his hands and put them out in front of him, shaking both them and his head at the same time._

" _No-no I'm n-not! I w-was just curious because there was a villain attack the other day and the villain was holding a lot of people hostage and apparently the hero that came on site killed the villain. A-and so I was just wondering…" The boy twiddled with his fingers for a moment before lowering his head, allowing his green curls to shadow his face. "I-it was a r-rude question to ask, I'm sorry." The older girl let out a tired sigh as she leaned back against the tree, her blue eyes staring up at the sky as she tracked a panda-shaped cloud._

" _Don't be sorry for asking Izu, I'm the one that told you that you could ask me anything." There was an uncomfortable silence between the two of them for a moment before she wordlessly patted the ground beside her. Izuku was at her side almost instantly, clutching his journal in his palms as he leaned back against the tree next to her. "And yes, I have. Does that scare you?" She watched as green eyebrows furrowed for a moment, but knowing her answer already from what she didn't see in his eyes. There was none of the instant fear that she had expected, though there was a little apprehension, something that was only to be expected._

" _I d-don't think it does. But why?" Though it was straightforward, to Sena there were so many parts of that question. She could see it clear as day, feeling the gravel against her skin as she rolled forward, heard the desperation in Aiko's voice as the camp they were staying with was sieged, could feel the pulsing connection of blood calling out to her as she pulled on it without hesitation-_

" _It was kind of like the villain situation." She raised her eyes back to the sky, watching the panda cloud as it drifted along in the blue heavens. Snippets of screaming people came back to her, children crying for their parents as the tents around them burned. "There were a lot of people who could have gotten hurt if I didn't act." So many had been injured, so many had died because she had failed to act because she hesitated. A small hand wrapped around hers and though she kept her eyes on the sky, she gave it a light squeeze. "You want to be a hero right, Izukun?" She felt rather than saw the boy's nod, and she would have known the answer even if he didn't respond. The boy ate, breathed, and sweated heroes. "There will be a time when you might have to make that judgment call Izu. I know that people say killing is wrong- and it is. But when you're a hero and you have to make a call between you going home to your family, civilians going home to their families, and a villain going home to theirs- I want you to always make the choice to save yourself and the civilians Izu. The villains made their bed when they chose their lifestyle, and they have to lie in it." Blue eyes glanced down and saw conflicted green ones staring straight at her._

" _So you mean if there ever comes a time when I could take the life of a villain than I should?"_

" _No. Killing just to kill is senseless, if you can arrest them then do that. But if it comes down to a situation where you're facing a villain who won't stay down, whose mind and body is set on causing mass casualties and destruction- or if you're in the situation where someone or even you will die if you don't act, that's when you need to do what you have to."_

" _Oh." The two sat in silence for what felt like hours to Sena but was probably minutes. She looked away from her successor, glancing at the little ducks that gathered around as they waddled to the pound that was to Izuku and Sena's left. Around the pond sat overgrown thickets and weeds, and it was here that Sena normally instructed Izuku in his waterbending lessons since no one really seemed to come to this edge of the park. "Do you regret it?" If his question startled her, she didn't let it show as she watched the ducks hop into the pond one by one. In her head, she didn't see the ducks, rather random children running around the cleaning hole in their underground sanctuary, laughing and splashing each other just hours before they were attacked, laughing as if there was no war as if they weren't the children of perceived traitors against All for One's cause. The image faded and she was standing on the edge of the water, watching the pink stained water ripple._

" _No, I don't." The hand released hers and Izuku moved so that he was crouched in front of her, emerald meeting azure. His face was set in a determined line as he nodded once, his hands balled into fists._

" _Thank you for being honest with me, Sena-san. You've given me a lot to think about." She stared at him quietly as he suddenly turned bright red and started stuttering again "B-but that d-doesn't mean I'm going to go a-around killing people!" A bark of laughter left her lips as she smiled at him, forcing the images that she was seeing away,_

" _You're a riot kid. Definitely don't start killing people, can't have the Avatar being a villain y'kno? Kinda goes against the job description. Now come on, it's starting to get late. Let's get you home." They walked together in silence, only for it to be broken again by Izuku._

" _Sena?"_

" _Hm?"_

" _Have any of the other avatars ever killed anyone?" For some reason, an image of a nearly 7-foot tall woman with a white painted face appeared in her mind. Two golden fans rested in her belt, and a swoop of red covered her eyelids. As soon as the image came it was gone, and Sena shrugged._

" _Probably. I don't think my predecessor Leodis did, but then again he was kind of lazy. Now stop asking questions like that before I start getting wrong ideas." She gave him a side look and started cracking up when the boy turned red and started stuttering once more. She looked towards the sky once more, allowing one last thought to echo through her head. Tui and La, Agni, and all the other spirits, please don't allow his soul to be tainted like mine was. Don't ever let him have to experience taking another person's life._

* * *

"Are you excited for today, Deku-kun?" Uraraka leaned forward around Iida to peer at her green-eyed friend. It was finally Friday and they were currently on the bus on their way to their field trip, though none of the students knew where. All they knew was that this trip was going to be focused on rescue missions. The viridian haired boy turned toward her and gave her a firm nod, an easy smile crossing his face.

"Yeah! It's very exciting Urakaka-chan, Iida-kun. Who do you guys think is going to be co-teaching with Aizawa-sensei? Didn't he mention two other heroes being there?" Before either of his friends could answer him, the bus rolled to a stop in front of a round-shaped building with a dome on top of it.

"Everyone off the bus." Class 1-A followed their teacher's instructions, most of the class laughing and joking with each other as their shoes hit the dirt path and they entered the building that was in front of them. The minute Izuku stepped foot in the building he nearly stopped walking in aw, and by his side he heard Uraraka let out a squeak of excitement. He glanced over to her, noticing her cheeks were pinker than usual.

"It's like Universal Studios Japan!" As he looked around, he couldn't help but agree. The place was _huge_ from what he could see there was a shipwreck area for water rescues, a mountain, a mock city, and a zone that was on fire, maybe the aftermath of an Earthquake? Before he could ponder on it more, a pink arm was thrown around his shoulder as Mina suddenly materialized next to him and pointed forward.

"Woah, isn't that the Space Hero Thirteen?" Both Uraraka and Izuku whipped towards the area where Mina was pointed, and sure enough, Thirteen stood there encased in her spacesuit. She waved them over to her, Uraraka and Izuku making their way over with stars in their eyes. Silently to himself, Izuku resolved to get her autograph before the day was finished.

"Good morning class 1-A! Welcome to my favorite place on U.A's campus, the Unforeseen Simulation Joint!" _Woah! It is the USJ!_ The broccoli haired boy smiled widely in amusement, glancing at Mina as she started messing with his hair. _Pay attention_ he said to her with his eyes, a smirk covering the girl's face as she gave his hair one last tug and moved away from him, going to stand by Kirishima and Kacchan. He returned his attention towards Thirteen and Eraserhead, both of them conversing quietly. Eraserhead mentioned something about All Might and Thirteen shook her head, holding up 3 fingers. They meant nothing to anyone else, but to Izuku, he knew exactly what was going on.

 _Yagi-san._ He shook his head, knowing that his mentor had pushed himself this morning and was now out of time. He was slightly disappointed that his mentor wouldn't be helping with the class, but at least he got to meet Thirteen. That made up for it, slightly. He looked at Thirteen as she began speaking about what was going on, tapping his itching fingers against his canteen covered waist. He wished he had brought a notebook so that he could write down all of this new information, but he hadn't been allowed to. He had only been allowed to bring the parts of his hero costume that weren't destroyed, meaning that Izuku had on the red sneakers that allowed him to get rid of the soles when he needed to, and his canteen belt around his waist though it only had one canteen on it, since Kacchan had broken the other, though neither of them realized it at the time. Still, he listened intently as Thirteen began describing her quirk.

"My quirk is called Black Hole. It allows me to suck anything into my fingers by creating a literal black hole. It is very useful for rescue missions, allowing me to get rid of rubble and prevent enemies from escaping, however, it is also very dangerous. If I am not careful enough I can kill someone with my quirk. I think the same could be said for a lot of your quirks as well. Quirks are tools to be used, and they must be used with caution so that you don't hurt those around you. Anyway, I only have about 8 more things to say and then we can-" Izuku didn't hear the rest of what she said, his eyes snapping to the lower pavilion as his senses screamed at him. As he watched, a swirl of purple suddenly appeared in the middle of it.

"Sensei." He didn't even realize that the word had left his mouth until suddenly, 21 eyes snapped towards him. His hand shook as he pointed to the middle of the pavilion, Aizawa immediately grabbing his capture scarf as the purple wisp turned into a portal with dozens of people stepping out of it. Izuku's heart sank as he felt the malevolent energy wafting over to him, taking an unconscious step back as the last villains stepped out, a man with ashy blue hair and a hand over his face, and a creature that seemed to be jet black with a bird head and exposed brain.

"Everyone get back, Thirteen protect the students!" His classmates stood around confused as Izuku rushed forward until he was standing next to his homeroom teacher. "Thirteen, why aren't the alarms going off?"

"There must be some sort of signal blocker...Is there anyone here that's an electric user? If so, try to contact the main building!" Kaminari immediately moved into action, one hand placed on his ear as he tried to contact the main building. Izuku tore his eyes from his friend and looked back down on the pavilion where it seemed there were at least 50 different villains waiting. He opened his mouth to say something when the hand villain suddenly spoke up, loud enough for them to hear.

"Where's All Might? I thought he was going to be here! This must be a cheat!" He began to scratch furiously at his neck, Izuku cringing at the site. The warp villain placed a hand on the hand villain's shoulder, speaking low enough that Izuku couldn't hear him but it had to be something bad for them since the hand villain suddenly smiled, holding his arms out wide.

"Well if the main boss isn't here, maybe he'll come after we kill some NPC's." At that, his teacher's eyes flashed momentarily as he suddenly pulled his slitted yellow goggles down over his eyes.

"Sensei, you can't beat them all! Your fighting style-" He was silenced by a hand on his hand, black eyes staring into green.

"No hero is a one-trick pony, Midoriya. Now get out of here with your classmates!" The man didn't give him another second to protest, moving with a speed that came with years of experience as he leaped into the air and dove at the villains below him. Izuku couldn't see him but he knew the normally black eyes were flared red as Aizawa-sensei came in contact with the first round of villains. He wanted to go help him so bad, but he knew he would just be a liability.

 _Sometimes in battle, you have to trust your comrades to be able to defend themselves, and you._ The old lesson from Sena came floating back into his mind and he grit his teeth, turning away from the fight, rushing to join his classmates. He came to a stop next to Kirishima and Kacchan, his eyes darting over the rest of his classmates as he took a step forward, assuming the role of the class leader.

"Kaminari-kun, were you able to contact the school?" The blonde-haired boy shook his head, one hand still to his ear.

"There's something jamming the signal, we won't be able to get anything out." Izuku nodded his head, a hand on his chin as his thoughts raced as fast as they possibly could, for some reason his brain hyper-focusing on the last part of Kaminari's statement. _Anything._ He thought. _Not anyone-_

"Iida you need to go, and you need to go now! You're the fastest out of all of us, you need to get to U.A and alert the teachers to what's going on." Whatever the engine user was going to say next was cut off by the warp villain appearing directly in front of them.

"Hello, U.A students. I'm afraid we can't allow you to go anywhere." The mist around him flared and expanded, and two students moved forward at the same time that Thirteen prepared to uncap her finger.

"As if we'd let you!" Katsuki snarled with a feral look on his face as he lunged forward with Kirishima, a large explosion leaving his fist. The warp user smirked, blocking both of their attacks, the students both skidding back. Mina lunged forward and grabbed Kirishima, dragging him back into the protective fold of their classmates while Shoji wrapped a giant arm around Bakugou and yanked him backward as well. Thirteen stepped forward in front of them all, uncapping black hole as she shouted.

"I won't let you hurt any of them, you villain!" For a moment it seemed to work, some of the mist being sucked into her finger, but in an instant, it all went wrong. A scream pierced the air as a warp opened up directly behind Thirteen, her own quirk being redirected back at her. Shoji, the closest person to her shoved her out of the way, her suit reacting and instantly capping her quirk on feeling the user take damage. The purple villain gave them all an unsettling smirk as he spoke.

"It is nothing personal children, but you all must be scattered, tortured, and killed." His mist flared once, Izuku saw Shoji grab Iida and Bakugou, the two closest people to him as he leaped out of the way of the mist. An invisible hand yanked Mina back out of the mist, Shoji's extended arm reached for Izuku, Izuku swung out his own arm to grab it-

And then Izuku was falling and a mountain was rising to meet him.

* * *

Ashido Mina watched as most of her classmates were swallowed by the mist, including two of her closest friends. She gave a near silent 'Thank You' to Hagakure, the girl responding by patting her back. The only students that remained near the entrance were Shoji, Iida, Bakugou, Hagakure, and Mina herself. The warp villain stood between them and the exit, and Mina unconsciously moved to stand in front of the downed Thirteen. She glanced at Bakugou, the ash-blonde boy's hands clenched into fists as he snarled at the villain, but when she looked closer she noticed his hands were shaking minutely, just like her own hands were. She ignored the urge to reach for him, instead pointing her hand forward like a hose just incase the villain made a sudden move towards them.

"We need to get Iida out of the building like Midori said." She spoke up suddenly, her free hand swinging back to where she knew Hagakure had been a moment prior. Her fingertips brushed against the girl, sending a silent message. She hoped her message had been received as she brought her arm back down, making it look like she was winding up for a fight. Bakugou looked at her with an unreadable glance and she looked towards Shoji who had a hand-shaped into an eyeball pointed towards the Central Plaza. One of his tentacles swiveled towards her and shaped itself into a thumbs up.

"Silly children, you should never discuss your plans in front of an opponent!" The mist flared once more and then Mina was there, using her acid to create a path for her to slide on. She skated around the mist villain, slinging the corrosive liquid at him in an attempt to distract him. She aimed for his eyes and his arms, only for her attacks to be swallowed by the mist causing her to hurriedly dodge as her acid came flying back at her.

"Iida, GO!" She shouted at him, flinging more acid. The mist flared once more and she felt it wrapping around her, only for Shoji to wrap a hand around her and yank her towards him. Iida went careening past them, his engines in full throttle as he sprinted.

"I'll be back!" He shouted at them. A portal opened up in front of him, threatening to swallow him whole, a shout on Mina's lips-and then her explosive friend was there, blasting the villain at point-blank range. The portal faltered, Bakugou's sweat covered hands made contact with the mist user's metal plate that sat around his neck, sending the villain's body crashing to the floor. The front entrance swung open with no one seemingly there, the villain went to move again only to be stopped by Bakugou's sparking and crackling hand, sunlight creeping into the building from outside.

And then Iida was gone, the front door swinging shut, cutting off the sunlight. They had done it. Mina sat next to Thirteen, holding the Space Hero's hand to keep a check on her vitals. She didn't know how much time had passed, 10 minutes, maybe 15? Iida would be back soon and they would be safe.

Or so she thought. Shoji's gasp had everyone looking up to watch the Central Plaza, Bakugou's grip lightening the smallest amount as they watched their teacher be bashed into the ground, but that slight lift was enough, the mist villain taking his chance and disappearing. She ignored the violent swearwords coming from her friend as they watched their teacher be smashed down again.

And again.

And again.

* * *

_Mountain Zone_

Izuku knelt on the rocky ground, huddled behind a rock with Kaminiari and Jirou. The earphone jack girl had roped her earphone around his arm and yanked him to the ground beside them before he was able to bend, stopping him from what would have inevitably given away his position.

"What's the plan, Pres?" He glanced around him before speaking lowly, Jirou stabbing her jacks into the ground to alert them of anyone coming near them.

"They don't know our quirks." Before they could ask how he knew that, he plunged ahead. "If they knew our quirks they would have sent Jirou to either the conflagration zone or the flood zone to stop her from using her earphone jacks. They would have sent Kaminari-kun to someplace wet to stop him from using his powers since he can't really focus them, and they would have sent me to the central plaza because I'm able to bend in nearly all of the zones. They wouldn't have sent me here where I'm at my strongest, even the flood zone would have been better than here." Kaminari nodded, trusting his expertise from when they had been paired together for the combat exercise. Jirou on the other hand wasn't as convinced.

"So say they don't know our quirks, what do we do now? We need to get out of here as fast as possible." Izuku nodded, his fingers rapidly tapping against his canteen as he thought. His fingers slowly rolled to a stop as he put together a passable plan.

"Jirou, how many people do you sense directly around us?" The girl closed her eyes, listening closely and silently mouthing her count.

"I counted 23 heartbeats." He gave a firm nod, not as many as he planned on but still more than he thought. _They really were planning on killing us._ He pushed the thought away, not giving it time to sit to prevent himself from panicking. They had to act quick, who knows what was going on everywhere else.

"Okay, here's what we're going to do.."

* * *

Kaminari Denki whistled as he strolled around the mountain zone, hands in his pockets. He had pulled down his shades that he brought with him, bopping to imaginary music. He came to a stop in the middle of an open spot on the mountain that overlooked a cliff, looking up as he realized that he was surrounded by villains.

"H-hey guys, whatcha doing here? Helping out with the exercise?" He did a full spin, counting quickly. _22._ One villain was still missing, but he would have to leave that one to the others.

"Something like that." The villains moved forward with smirks on their faces, the one directly in front spinning some sort of weapon that Denki couldn't make out. "You're surrounded kid, you mind as well give up."

"Okay." The electric user agreed, dropping down to his knees with his hands on the ground in front of him. "Only, there's one issue with that. I'd really rather not. Indiscriminate shock, 1 million volts!" Lightning arched from his body and rippled forward, surging through the crowd of villains that surrounded him. He forced the lightning to continue leaving his body, feeling his brain start to short out the smallest amounts. He hadn't used enough to fry him completely, but the constant output would get to him eventually if he didn't stop. _Hold on Denki, another 10 seconds._ His eyes glowed, hair floating up as he forced his output to the limit, abruptly pulling it back right before he would have been reduced to his dunce state. _Even still_ he thought with a wince _he had been mighty close._ He staggered to his feet, noticing that not all the villains were down. There seemed to be at least 10 still standing, those must have been the ones that made up the second ring. They had probably surged back out of his range, and now they charged forward towards him with their quirks coming to life. Moments before he would have been blasted by someone's flame quirk, a gust of air wrapped around him and yanked him back until he was standing next to Jirou and Midoriya. He watched as phase 2 of their plan came to life, with Midoriya springing forward in front of them, slamming his shoe covered but bare soled foot onto the ground, slowly lifting his arms towards the sky. _They were shaking_. Denki dimly noted Midoriya's arms were shaking along with the ground. The boy's face reddened the slightest amount as if he was holding something very heavy, and then he shifted his stance, yanking his arms back to his body, and the ground below the villains rose, encasing them in a jagged looking rocky tomb.

"There was a- _whey_ \- missing villain." Kaminari stuttered out, closing his eyes in exhaustion. His brain was fuzzy and it felt like it was steaming. It hurt for him to think, let alone form sentences.

"Indeed there was." The villain suddenly loomed over them, and it would have been scarier had Midoriya not slammed his foot onto the ground once more, this time sending the villain shooting up into the air. Two arms wrapped around Kaminari as Jirou pointed in the direction that the central plaza laid.

"Good job Midoriya. Come on, let's get Jamming-Whey out of here." She gave him a smirk, and had Denki been more cognizant he probably would have been offended. Probably. There would be a time for that later though, but for now, they picked their way down the mountain with Midoriya bending out a smooth path for them to walk on. They had barely made it out of the mountain zone when a huge crash had Denki looking up, only to see Aizawa-sensei being pounded into the ground by a bird creature with an exposed brain.

"S-sensei." Jirou stuttered out, all 3 of them frozen in horror. _Move_. Their minds shouted at them as they stood in the open space, but none of them could make their legs work. They watched as the warp villain appeared next to the hand-man, his voice carrying over to them clearly.

"Shigaraki Tomura, Thirteen has been disposed of but the engine child was able to escape and is gathering help as we speak." Denki's eyes were stuck on his bleeding teacher, something cold gripping his heart.

"Kurogiri if you weren't our exit I would disintegrate you. But fine, before we leave let's kill some kids." He moved faster than anyone could think, Jirou letting out a scream as a hand suddenly covered her face, and Denki might have been screaming with her-

Only for nothing to happen and for the three to look at the villain in confused horror as he let out a laugh.

"Eraserhead, you're really cool. Nomu." The bird beaked creature slammed an already bloody face into the ground one last time, the man finally going still. The palm wearer turned back towards Jirou, lowering a pinky when Denki saw a flash of green, and Midoriya slammed a red-veined fist down towards the villain.

* * *

Izuku didn't think as he watched the man, _Shigaraki_ , place his hand on Jirou's face. He didn't think as Aizawa-sensei activated his quirk and was slammed into the ground once more, and he didn't think when the villain turned back toward Jirou intending to disintegrate her face. No, for the second time in his life Izuku didn't think, _his legs just moved on their own._ An OFA laced punch came down on the villain, and for a second he found himself regretting that his punch would probably be enough to kill the man, only for his arm to make impact without his arm breaking.

"My arm..didn't break-?" He glanced at the appendage in confusion, only to shout in pain as a hand wrapped around his wrist and squeezed it. Shigaraki walked from behind the Nomu, his eyes wide in shock.

"You totally just tried to kill me! What are these hero schools teaching these NPC's these days?" He scowled at Izuku and then back at Eraserhead, who had lost a lot of blood. _Nearly too much_ Izuku's mind supplied. Ignoring him and he turned back towards Jirou who was still helping Kaminari stand up. He had to protect them, no matter what.

"Get Sensei and go! I'll hold them off!" Jirou looked at him with watery eyes but immediately moved, forcing Kaminari to run with her as she sprinted away from Izuku.

"What kind of NPC are you? Hmm..doesn't matter. Nomu, kill him." Shigaraki waved a dismissive hand as Kurogiri warped him back to where he had been standing beforehand to enjoy the show. Izuku grit his teeth as he was flung away from the Nomu, hitting the ground rolling. He let out the smallest grunt of pain and rose to his feet, his left wrist pulsating in pain. _Fractured or broken_. His mind told him, but he didn't have the time to think about it. Letting his instincts guide him he moved, sending waves of Earth at the creature only for them to be plowed through. A gust of air sent him flying backward and out of the way of a punch that would have broken his ribs, and then he was on defense but he knew he was slowly losing ground. Any earthen attacks were shattered, air attacks worked momentarily only for the nomu to gain a burst of speed and be right back where he was originally. Izuku was holding out, but he was tiring. He had never bent this long before, and even though it had only been minutes it felt like an eternity. He spun under one of the nomu's swings, hurriedly hopping backward and slammed his feet into the ground, clapping his hands together and shooting them forward like a knife. A huge spiral of earth ripped itself from the ground, the end sharpening as familiar words played through his mind.

 _If it comes down to him or you, do what you have to do_.

The sharpened end of the rock thrust was thrust deep into the Nomu's chest, the creature letting out a shriek as the spiral finally stopped. Around Izuku the world went quiet as he let out a gasp and bit his lip hard to force down the rising wave of nausea that threatened to overwhelm him. He glanced at Shigaraki, only to find that the man was laughing and clapping.

"Wow, you're really different kid! I've never met a hero who actively tried to kill two people in one day, goes to show that heroes are government-sanctioned thugs. You're a mini-boss aren't you?" The tone shifted from amused to accusing. "You're using cheats huh? Well too bad, Nomu is a mod!" Viridian eyes widened in horror as the creature broke the spire that had pierced it and pulled the chunk of Earth out of its chest. The hole that had gone through it slowly closed as it repaired the damage done to it.

"Regeneration." Izuku breathed as he prepared himself to move, but it was too late. The Nomu shot forward with the speed of a bullet, a meaty hand wrapping around Izuku and squeezing. He let out a scream of agony as he felt bones begin to get crushed.

"Among other things. It was built to kill All Might, the final boss. A mini-boss is nothing to the Nomu. Nomu, end him already." In a manner reminiscent of what it had done to Aizawa-Sensei, the large hand rose and fell, slamming Izuku's body into the ground below it.

"MIDORI!" A shrill scream echoed through the air as he turned his gaze towards the entrance where Mina was fighting to get out of Shoji's grip. Another yell left him as he was slammed into the ground once more, his left arm caving in against his body. Blood was running freely down his face now as he was swung down once more.

"DEKU! YOU SHITTY NERD" The sound of explosions echoed through the air as he was lifted higher than he had been the previous times that the Nomu had smashed him into the ground. He dangled limply like a doll, the Nomu only holding him by his broken arm now instead of the full-body grip that he had been wrapped in.

"Kac..chan." He wheezed, his dangling arm reaching towards the boy as his vision began to dim. He could faintly hear his classmates horrified screams as he was swung down a final time, hard enough for his body to create a crater in the ground. No sound left his lips as his back arched and he coughed up blood. He should have been unconscious already, should have been dead already, but Izuku had always been sturdier than most people. He didn't know if it came with him being a bender or not, but things that would have seriously hurt normal people didn't have as much as an effect on him. Had he been anyone else, he surely would have been dead by now. His eyes began to close as blood pooled around him, the silent call of unconsciousness wrapping around his body like a vice.

DEKU! The scream echoed through his mind at a snail's pace, almost as though it was moving through jello.

DEKU! The voice screamed again, this time followed by the sounds of explosions that were muted to Izuku's ears. There were other screams now, people yelling for someone named Bakugou to get out of there.

 _Bak..u...gou?_ The name drifted along the stream of Izuku's slowing mind. _Who…_

 _ZU-KUN!_ Unlike the other names, this nickname shot through the ever-growing fog of Izuku's mind. It was bright, it was blazing, the heat coming off of it pushing away the cold that had slowly been climbing up Izuku's limbs, the light driving away the darkness. There was only one person who had ever called him that in his entire life besides his mother, only one person who could infuse that much anger in something tinted with desperation. _Kacchan_. He needed to move, he needed to help-

"Hey, kid." A glowing blue figure stood in front of him, adorned in a medium length short sleeve tunic that had slits going up the sides of the tight covered legs. Blue bracers sat on the figure's arms, curly hair pulled up into a messy wolf tail. A pair of glasses sat on the figure's nose as she looked down on him, a frown covering her face. "You look like you've seen better days." He couldn't speak, his voice wouldn't work but tears made their way down his face as the figure crouched down and gave him a soft smile.

 _Help...them..._ He thought, viridian eyes misting over as they stared into blue. At that moment there was no nomu, there were no villains, it was only them. She nodded and wrapped her calloused and scarred hand around his, yanking him to his feet roughly. A tall man suddenly appeared behind her, black hair with white streaks falling to his shoulders, sweeping in front of his face and covering his eyes. He moved silently until he was standing beside Izuku, completely bypassing Sena as if she was not even there, and Sena showed no sign of noticing him either.

"Rise." They both spoke at the same time, and Izuku was suddenly ejected from his mind. Eyes that he didn't remember closing flew open as the world splintered white, the earth around him rumbling its fury.

Izuku rose.

* * *

Iida ran as fast as he could. He had a lot of stamina, but he was slowly tiring after sprinting down the long path from the USJ to U.A's main campus. Still, he pushed himself harder than he had before, not allowing himself to slow down even as he pushed open the doors and sprinted into the school.

"Woah, little listener! What's the rush!" Present Mic's hand reached out and grabbed Iida as the engine user slammed into him, sending dozens of papers that the loud man was holding to the ground, sheer relief flooding the boy's face as he came in contact with someone who could help.

"SENSEI, VILLAINS AT THE USJ! CLASS 1-A REQUESTS BACKUP!" The smile that was ever-present on the man's face dropped immediately as he whipped his phone out of his pocket, hastily dialing a number.

"Nezu, code black, USJ." Almost immediately the loudspeakers blared to life, Nezu's voice appearing over the intercom.

"All active pro-heroes to bus lot A _immediately_."

"Follow me, little listener!" Together both student and teacher sprinted towards the bus lot as doors swung open, pro heroes pouring out of multiple classrooms and joining them. On their way there a red, blue, and yellow blur passed them, the figure immediately taking to the sky as soon as they all hit the open air.

 _Everyone, help is on the way_. Iida thought as he entered the bus, watching as All Might leaped away.

* * *

_Before Katsuki gained his quirk, before Izuku was revealed to be quirkless (but not powerless), before Izuku was Deku, they were merely Kacchan and Zu-kun, two nearly inseparable boys. Katsuki would shout and wail until his irritated mother brought him over to the Midoriya's where he would immediately rush to Izuku's room screaming_

" _Zu-kun let's play heroes and villains!" The tiny green-haired boy would rush out of his room screaming for Kacchan. Both boys would end up slamming into each other, the green-haired mother wincing as she awaited for tears to fall, the blonde-hair mother groaning as she pinched her nose shut to keep herself from yelling at her brat about being careful, awaiting the inevitable loss of temper, but neither would come. Instead, the boys would break out into peals of laughter, Katsuki sometimes yanking Izuku to his feet, Izuku sometimes gently pulling Katsuki to his and they would run around and play until either Mitsuki or Inko would find them entangled around each other on the floor, sound asleep._

_But then Katsuki got his quirk and Izuku was no longer Zu-kun, rather he was Deku. But Kacchan would always remain Kacchan, Izuku's first nickname long forgotten, or so he thought. Until now._

To the outside world, it seemed as though Izuku was gone. No one saw what was going on in his head, and no one saw the tears that threatened to cascade down Katsuki's face as he resumed his position of pinning Kurogiri to the ground with a sparking hand once more. Todoroki had appeared on the scene, a wave of ice trapping the Nomu in its place for a moment as Katsuki shouted for Deku, shouted for him to get his shitty nerd ass up, and to stop playing around. It was only when the Nomu broke out of Todorki's ice, sending it spiraling everywhere that Katsuki realized that Izuku wasn't going to get up, not anymore. He didn't know what came over him, what possessed him to use _that_ nickname again, but it tore itself from his throat before he had the chance to stop it.

" _ZU-KUN!"_ The shout echoed over the still air, the Nomu slowly lumbering over to him as it prepared to claim a second victim. Another wave of ice intercepted it as Kirishima called for Bakugou to move, but he couldn't allow the stupid warp villain to escape once again, he wouldn't be a failure for the second time that day- and then a bright white blinded him, blinded them all. He wasn't prepared for Izuku to be standing there when his vision finally cleared. The boy looked like a wreck, his left arm dangling uselessly by his side, blood running from his hairline to his neck like a waterfall. Despite the obvious pain that the boy had to be in, Deku moved, and it was only then did Katsuki notice the floating green hair and the blistering white eyes.

* * *

 _Destroy the enemy_. The thought bounced around Izuku's head as he stood there, staring at the Nomu who had stopped its movement towards Kacchan and instead turned back towards Izuku, facing him once more. He cracked his neck, feeling no pain as he took a single step forward on his injured legs. Red veins cackled to life underneath his ruined and blood-soaked shorts, glowing eyes narrowing in on the threat.

"Raava." He whispered. He felt the power of thousands before him coursing through his body as their voices mingled with his.

 _I am here._ The spirit responded. _We are one._ This time it wasn't just Raava that spoke, a male voice echoing with hers.

"What type of power-up is this? Nomu! I thought I told you to kill him! End him already! KILL THE DAMN KID!" Izuku looked to see the palm user scratching at his neck furiously, eyes narrowing. He would deal with him later, he decided, after he dealt with the menace that was threatening his friends. Izuku slid forward, moving his arms even though he shouldn't have been able to move the broken appendages. He flowed through the stance, calling for the water. The water responded.

The entirety of the lake rose and flowed around him, wrapping itself around Izuku as if he was demonstrating what an atom would look like. The water writhed and flowed, churning as it corresponded with the cool rage that filtered through Izuku's body. The Nomu charged towards him once more, and Izuku struck, sending the water forward with the force of a drill. The Nomu dodged to the side, the water missing its intended target and instead taking out the Nomu's arm as Izuku rose into the air, chunks of earth rising with him. Shards of ice and sharp spires of earth rained down on the Nomu as Izuku roared, wind buffeting around him. The Nomu roared as the shrapnel ripped through it nearly as fast as its regeneration worked. He dove forward in his fury, red veins shining brightly as a water covered fist impacted the Nomu and sent it skidding back. The boy landed on the ground only to bring his arms up in the form of an X as the Nomu swung at him, a barrier of earth rising right before the impact. Izuku ducked around the barrier, rushing forward once more and sending out a tendril of ice, clashing with the Nomu once more. They were a blur of white and black, Izuku moving nearly as fast as the Nomu and blocking as many attacks as he was sending out. He sent out another tendril of ice, only this time it was aiming towards the Nomu's brain instead of its body. He would end it here.

_If it comes to him or you, do what you must._

_Even if it means killing?_

_Even then._ His eyes narrowed as the tendril arched forward, an unreadable expression replacing the look of fury as his hand suddenly dropped, the ice tendril dropping down so it instead cut through the Nomu's chest instead of piercing his brain. He couldn't do it, but he wouldn't need to kill it, he could subdue it easily. He was unstoppable.

Until he wasn't.

A roar of fury and agony left his body as a hand was placed on his back, his clothing disintegrating along with the first layer of his skin. He sent a burst of air behind him, sending Shigaraki flying backward. The moment of distraction cost him, allowing the Nomu to land a blow that sent him flying back towards the steps of the entrance area. The glow covering his eyes flickered momentarily as he dug his feet into the ground, creating a trench to stop his impact with the steps. Chunks of earth rose around him, grinding his teeth as an uncustomary snarl made its way across his face. He was preparing to launch them at the creature once more when the doors to the building flew open with enough force to take them off their hinges. In the entryway, All Might stood, and the small cognizant part of Izuku noted that his mentor was not smiling. The man was next to him instantly, placing a hand on his shoulder.

" **You've done wonderfully, Midoriya-shounen. Let me take care of the rest.** " Without waiting for a response the man lunged forward, engaging the Nomu. Izuku allowed the rocks to drop to the ground as he spun around to face his classmates.

"Midori." His still glowing eyes snapped towards the pink-haired girl who stood in front of both of their injured teachers. He made his way to her, bypassing everyone else, calling the rest of the water to him as he did so.

"Let me heal them." He could tell that the voices intermingled with his own startled her, especially since one of those voices that were more distinct was decidedly feminine. However, she moved until she was crouched next to him as he started on Aizawa-sensei first. The water wrapped around his hand like a glove as he guided his palms around the man's body, healing him just enough to keep him from death's door but being unable to heal him any further. He did the same thing to Thirteen, rising to his feet once he had finished. The glowing light around his eyes had dimmed, only to flare back to life at the sound of something crashing through the ceiling. All Might stood there, chest heaving as smoke rose from his body. Deku couldn't hear the exchange, but he noticed Shigaraki rushing towards All Might, noticed Kurogiri opening a warp beneath his mentor's feet and he moved, intent on wiping both of them out when suddenly several shots rang out and Shigaraki collapsed to his feet. The warp under All Might disappeared as Kurogiri flared his mist out and warped away with his boss, and Izuku was suddenly standing next to All Might unsure of how he got there. He unconsciously rose a wall of earth to keep his mentor from being exposed, glowing eyes bearing into horror-filled blue ones.

"Midoriya-shounen." The skinny form of the pro-hero gasped as he took in his injured protege. The glow had dimmed once more, and suddenly Izuku wasn't seeing him, rather seeing the glowing form of Sena standing before him once more.

 _Good job kid. I'll see you again in a bit, try not to die before Recovery Girl gets here._ And then she was gone, the glow died-and a wave of pain slammed into Izuku as he suddenly sagged to the ground. All Might's arms wrapped around him, cradling the broken boy as he spoke.

"Yagi..san...every...one-" The blonde man hurriedly spoke, interrupting his injured charge.

"Everyone is fine, Midoriya shounen. Stay with me, help is here-" He didn't hear anything else, a wave roaring in his ears as he felt rather than heard Yagi-san shouting something. He was scooped into someone else's warm arms, whimpers living his lips as their running jostled his broken body, he was placed onto something hard, red and blue flashing over his vision.

And then he was gone, darkness surging forward like a tsunami, dragging him down into its depths.

* * *

"Sensei! You lied to me, All Might was just as strong as he normally is, and there was this NPC brat that turned out to be a mini-boss with glowing eyes that nearly ended the Nomu before All Might did!" Shigaraki glared at the blank t.v screen from his position on the floor, hissing as Kurogiri wrapped his gunshot wounds with bandages, muttering something about government-sanctioned thugs. The t.v crackled with the sound of static as his Sensei began speaking.

"No, Tomura. All Might is indeed weaker than he used to be, I ensured that. It was never expected that you would beat him so easily, even if he is weaker he is still the number 1 hero." The man paused for a moment, and when he spoke next the maniacal glee in his tone had Kurogiri shivering.

"And now, my young protege, what is this you said about a boy with glowing eyes?"


	11. Raava

_Aiko was running. The formerly quirkless man sprinted as fast as he could away from the place he had grown up, away from what had once been his home, and then became his prison. His chest heaved as he forced himself to run, wishing that he had left earlier in the night as opposed to now, the rising sun lightening the sky and making his flight more visible. He hadn't been thinking though when he bolted. He had only known that he needed to get away, and the moment his brother left he took his chance. The white-haired man quickly made his way to the 24-hour convenience store that was located by his house, grabbing the first pack of hair dye that he saw and a bottle of water He pulled his hood up as he walked up to the counter, setting it down. He debated with buying contacts, but then decided it wasn't worth it. While his eyes were distinct, it was his hair that betrayed him the most. Only two people in this area had white hair, and one of them was the exact person that Aiko was running from. He paid the cashier and quickly exited the building, melding into the lightening shadows of the alleyway behind the store. He moved as quickly as he could, doing a rush dye job that ended up coming out more grey than black, but it didn't matter. As long as he got rid of the snow-white hair, he'd be fine. Tossing the empty box dye and water bottle into the trash, he shouldered his bookbag once more, moving as quickly and as silently as he could as he rushed away. He had no idea of where he was going, but he had heard whispers of a resistance forming against his brother. A band of people who were against the mass genocide of benders, people who didn't think that people with quirks were superior, people who would possibly take him in. He didn't know what quirk his brother had given him, only remembered the sheer pain that had wracked his body at the forceful imposition, but it wasn't a quirk that was visible. He could continue to pose as being quirkless, and he would join the resistance that would bring his once-beloved older brother down._

_He wandered for days, taking refuge in dark alleys during the day, only daring to move under the cover of night, making his way from the city that he had lived to the very outskirts of the Wasteland as they called it. It was a place that had apparently once had towering buildings called skyscrapers, but now it was a flat wasteland where no life grew. No one knew what happened to make it that way, but there were rumors of a bombing of some sort, though Aiko didn't know what kind of bomb would be that powerful to level an entire city. He was tired and hungry, having long ago eaten the last of his rations while wishing he had the forethought to pack more. The only thing he had left was two pairs of clothes and three bottles of water. In a few more days though, they too would be gone. There had been a few close calls where people had nearly found him, too many. His brother was aware of his absence, and he wanted Aiko back. Aiko himself was very nearly tempted to return, his body unused to the constant movement that he was putting himself through, forcing himself to bear the weight of his body shaking coughs and his ever plaguing migraines without the help of his brother. His brother, who before he took on the name All For One, would tenderly sit next to him and cover his eyes with a warm damp cloth and would card his hands through his weak little brother's hair. They had been so close then, Aiko thought wistfully before pushing away the thought. He had no time to focus on the past, to look back at what once was. He only had time to move forward._

_It was nearly two weeks later after he had run away that he found them, or rather, they found him. He had finally dropped to the ground of exhaustion, his water bottles long gone, his throat dry like parchment paper. His vision was blurred from the migraine that currently pounded through his head with the force of a drum, and he laid there collapsed in the middle of the wasteland, the sunlight beaming down harshly on him. Sweat ran down his face as he tried to force himself to his feet, begging his body to listen, but as it always had, his body betrayed him. Acceptance washed over him as he realized he was probably going to die here, and as his eyes began to close he heard a shout followed by the outlines of several weirdly clothed figures sprinting towards him._

* * *

Izuku didn't know where he was, but he had a strong hint. He stood in the middle of a grassy green field where there were no trees in sight. Bright purple and blue flowers twisted through the field, some flowers rising higher than he was tall. Little spirits the size of flower petals floated around him, mostly continuing on their own path though a few veered close to him, bringing a bright smile to his face as he reached forward to pet one, only to freeze as he looked at his hand. The familiar green tint that normally covered him when he was in Sena's grove had appeared in full force, instead of it just being a light around his figure, he was completely made out of green. There was only one place where he could appear in his spiritual form like this.

"Young one." A voice came from behind him and as he turned the terrain around him seemed to edge and blur until he was no longer standing amidst the flowers, but instead appeared to be in a totally different place where the sky was a bright lilac and the only thing insight were rolling blue hills, one of which he was currently standing atop of. The green bodied spirit looked up, awe covering his face as a giant white kite spirit stood in front of him, blue markings covering a big portion of the spirit. Though he had never physically met this spirit before, he would be remiss in his Avatar teachings if he didn't know who it was. "We have much to discuss and a short amount of time to do it."

"Raava. What's going on?" The spirit turned away from him, her tendrils flickering as she spoke.

"You are most unusual, young one. There have not been benders born into your world in centuries, the spiritual connection between your world and this one too far degraded. The spirits have retreated from your world, choosing instead to take refuge within the world from whence they came. It has been the balance of things, until you came along, the first bender to be born in centuries and the last avatar. Do you think it a coincidence?" Izuku didn't know how to respond, instead choosing to keep quiet as he digested what Raava had just said. _He was the only bender to be born in centuries? Surely other ones had been born since then...but Raava would know wouldn't she? The Avatar cycle surely would have continued had there been benders alive still…_ The spirit went quiet, and Izuku realized she was waiting for a response.

"No, but why me? Why now?" The confusion was evident in his voice, prompting Raava to turn to him once more. Above him, the lilac sky began to deepen into a royal purple, a strange sort of energy beginning to hover in the air around him. It was a static feeling, one that he wasn't sure that he liked.

"I do not know why now. But why you? It has always fated to be _you,_ young one. Tell me, do you not sense it now? The corruption from your gifted abilities?" Izuku tilted his head, _gifted abilities? What- oh_. Realization crossed his face, and Raava said nothing, instead pointing one tendril high in the sky above them. Almost instantly 8 bright lights appeared in the sky, all of them different solid colors, except for the first one. The first light was white like a star, but it had a blue tint intermixed with it. None of the other lights had secondary colors. "Our connection was formed with the breath of your first holder, the breath of my intended last. Even as powerful as we are, the Avatar was never meant to last forever." A sharp pain pierced through Izuku, his spiritual form wavering slightly as he grimaced, a fragmented memory floating into his mind.

 _We will unite at the 9th_. Unite at the 9th. What exactly did that mean? It sounded so familiar, but Izuku couldn't focus on it as Raava continued to speak. "Do you not notice it, young one? How your abilities have been enhanced due to the corruption of your gift? How the man with the changing eyes is able to disrupt our connection and block me away from you? Only one person has been able to sever the Avatar's connection to me, and even then that person was backed by a spirit. Do you understand what I'm saying young one?" He did understand, but what he didn't know was _how_. How did OFA warp his connection with Raava and the elements? He had noticed that he was able to do more extreme types of bending than he had been able to before inheriting OFA, but he had attributed that to him being so close to becoming a fully realized Avatar. _Maybe that was part of it, but like I thought before, OFA is doing something to my bending, making it more quirk like than before._ He looked at Raava and opened his mouth, asking the first question that came to mind.

"Sena was meant to be the last Avatar?" All the information that Izuku was receiving only left him with more questions than he was getting answers to. _If Sena was meant to be the last Avatar then why was he gifted with bending, especially when there had been no other benders in the centuries before him? What made him, useless Deku, so special?_

"Yes, I was." The kite spirit was gone, and in her place stood Sena in her corporal form. She was dressed in her water tribe garments, and an image of her crouching down in front of him, grabbing him by his arm suddenly appeared in his mind. He watched as she made her way up the hill that he was standing on, plopping down next to him in a lotus position. She wordlessly patted the ground, Izuku taking a seat beside her as he continued watching the bright lights in the sky. "There isn't enough time to explain now, but you've been seeing my life, haven't you? They aren't dreams Izuku, they're memories. I want to explain more, I really do kid but the time isn't right. I will give you the hints, but it's your job to piece them together." He moved so that he was fully facing her, wondering exactly what she was talking about. He did remember having dreams, but he could never fully remember them fully when he was awake, they were always fragmented.

"Alright, but then I have another question. What did Raava mean by the corruption of my gifted abilities?" Blue eyes glanced over at him as Sena suddenly switched positions, leaning back against her elbows with her legs kicked over each other. T

"You already figured it out haven't you? You've always been a smart kid, you know the answer to the question that you're asking." She opened her mouth to say something else when suddenly his spiritual form wavered again, sharply this time. He watched as his hands slowly began to fade from existence, his eyes wide with alarm. "Sena!"

"You're being recalled to the physical world, kid. Try to come back to me again, but in a less violent way!" There was more she was saying, but everything sounded like it was underwater as the world around him began splintering, the bright lights falling out of the sky like shooting stars. His eyes focused on her lips, and he barely made out her words of _The solstice! Full moon-_ and then there was nothing but blackness and he was falling.

* * *

Yagi Toshinori didn't know when he had started caring for his young successor in the way that he had. He remembered when the boy had first met him, he remembered watching the boy spring into action to save his friend, and he remembered watching the boy grow as he trained to become his successor-but he would never remember when he had come to look at the boy with a strange fondness that sometimes made his heartache from how strong the feeling was. Maybe it was during their weekly meetups when Midoriya had off from training and he would take the boy out to get something to eat as a little cheat day. Maybe it was when Midoriya would call him in the middle of the night after a nightmare, not knowing that Toshinori was still up for the same reason. The boy would apologize profusely but Toshinori would always laugh it off, preferring the boy's mumbling to the silence of his own apartment. Either way, no matter when it came to fruition, Toshinori was extremely fond of the boy.

It didn't mean he had expected the pain that had slammed into his chest when he cradled the injured boy to his chest after the battle at the USJ. At that moment the sturdy young man that All Might had come to know, that Yagi Toshinori had come to know, that young man was small and frail. He was covered in blood that Toshinori had frantically tried to stem, blood from his head, from his arms, and from his ruined back.

 _He had been lucky_. The doctors had said. _Had that quirk been activated on his back for a moment longer, it's possible we wouldn't be having this conversation. Had that creature slammed him one more time instead of leaving him for dead_. A cold chill had gripped Toshinori's heart at that as he sat hunched over in a chair that would have once been too small for him, digging his hands through his blonde hair. Once the worst of the damage had been repaired, Midoriya had been transferred to U.A in order for Chiyo to keep a close eye on him. All of that had occurred in a single day, and the OFA user was exhausted. He had been the one

to inform his successor's mother that he had been injured, though he refused to tell her that her son almost hadn't made it. He would not put that burden on the poor woman. It would be better for her to know that he had been injured and would live, not for her to know that he almost hadn't. _He would bear that burden for her. The burden of knowing that he failed to keep one of the people that he unknowingly cared most for, safe._

The blonde-haired man let out a soft sigh as he changed his position in his chair by Midoriya's bedside in Chiyo's office, grabbing the boy's bandaged hand and using it as an anchor to remind himself that despite everything going wrong, he had gotten there in time to prevent any further injuries. He had been about to leave his meeting with Nezu when the principal received the code about a code black at the USJ. Toshinori had transformed into All Might and taken off instantly, not waiting for the rest of the teachers, and the sight that met him would haunt his dreams, and he knew it.

_Aizawa on the ground bleeding sluggishly, young Yaoyorozu creating bandages and towels that her classmates pressed against their teacher. Thirteen unconscious with the back part of her suit ripped to pieces, young Ashido holding the space hero's hand. And then his eyes moved from the entrance hall and landed on the central plaza where young Midoriya stood with his ruined back to him, hair rising from an unseen force, red veins dipping up and down his arms, and then he moved- landing next to the boy who had several large rocks floating around him. It was only then that he noticed the young man's glowing eyes._

He was ripped from his memories as a groan permeated through the air. His electric blue eyes snapped from the floor to the bed watching with pure shock as green eyes slowly opened. Toshinori squeezed the boy's hand once, causing green eyes to drift over to him and a smile to cross the green-haired OFA user's face as he croaked out

"Hey...Toshi-san" The boy was clearly still out of it, and as quick as they opened the eyes closed again, the boy's previously labored breathing evening out to the soft breathing of sleep. Toshinori dragged an arm over his eyes, a small smile crossing his own triangular pointed face as relief swept through him like a tidal wave. If he secretly flushed at the boy calling him Toshi-san, no one but Chiyo would know.

* * *

The next time Izuku woke up, it was dark. He didn't immediately open his eyes, instead wiggling his fingers and toes to allow the sensation to return back to them. He took a mental stock of his body, and while he ached everywhere, there was only a slight burning sensation around his ribs and his arms where he had expected there to be an intense burning pain after getting his ribs broken and his arms snapped. He grimaced as he opened his eyes and tried to sit up, a light suddenly flooding the room causing him to grunt and close his eyes as quickly as he opened them.

"Don't move deary, you took quite the beating." He cracked an eye open as the light dimmed down some, and he muttered his thanks. Recovery Girl walked over to him and handed him a glass of water, neatly stepping around the chair that was by his bedside. It was only then that he noticed unkempt blonde hair sticking over the side of it, the owner of said hair sound asleep. Recovery Girl followed his eyes and shook her head in exasperation. "I tried to get him to leave but he refused, stubborn man. Now open both of those eyes for me, deary, let me check." He did what she said, opening his eyes and tried not to flinch back as she shone a bright light in them. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm fi-" He started to say automatically, only to stop as the dangerous glare was leveled on him. _So scary_. He thought, shivering. "My ribs and arms burn a little, and I have a headache. The rest of my body is just sore." The nurse tsked at him as she suddenly puckered her lips and gave him a kiss. Almost instantly the burning sensation and aches went away, though a wave of exhaustion washed over him.

"Thank you for being honest deary. I've healed you as much as I dare, so after you get some sleep we'll redo your bandages and you'll be allowed to go home. You've been out of it for around 2 days now, it's Sunday night. School is canceled until Tuesday. You're approved to attend but I don't want you doing anything strenuous for a week, you hear me?" The boy gave her a tired nod before sinking back into the sheets. A hand came up to brush his bangs out of his face, and he turned bleary eyes to the woman who gave him a sad smile. "Rest deary." He nodded once and closed his eyes, and as he dreamed of a room that held a figure of the lunar cycle, watching the sun disappear and rise repeatedly he could have sworn that a man with white hair and violet eyes was watching him


	12. Recovery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time resumed its frantic motion as Izuku and Hakoda stood still, Hakoda's arms wrapped around Izuku's waist as tears pooled in the innocent wide blue eyes. Dust rose from the ruins of the still-burning house and to Izuku the world fell still.
> 
> And then all he knew was a hot white glowing rage.

" _Sena-san, how did I save myself back then?" Sena glanced over at her 10-year-old successor who was currently going through his earthbending stances with sweat beading down his face. They had begun his training nearly a week ago, and though he was only 10, he was progressing through his stances at a nearly scarily-astonishing rate. She hadn't planned on him moving on to the actual bending aspect for another few months, but it looked like he would be able to soon._

" _Save yourself back when? The river?" The boy let out an unintelligible grunt as he struck forward, forcing himself into a wider stance as he moved. She tilted her head as an image of an 8-year-old boy with glowing white eyes appeared in her mind, and she let out a soft 'ah'. "That was going to be a lesson for next week, but I can tell you the reason now. Take a break and come here." The boy obeyed without hesitation, dropping out of his wide-legged stance with a wince as he ambled over to Sena, grabbing a bottle of water that sat by a tree root and sipping from it. A small feeling of pride slithered its way into her heart as she watched him, he was really improving. The first few days he would guzzle the water bottle down and then throw up in the middle of his reps after the break, but now he was learning to take his time and not consume a large amount, even if he thought he needed it. It was the little things, Sena thought. She sat on the ground and beckoned for him to join her, the freckled face boy lowering himself to the ground to sit next to her in a lotus position. "What do you remember about that day?" The boy furrowed his eyebrows, raising a hand as he scratched the side of his head._

" _I'm not actually sure. I just remember falling, and then a bright white light, and then I was on the ground and you were there." Sena nodded and leaned forward, resting her elbows on her thighs as she put her chin in her open palm._

" _That bright white light was Raava stepping in."_

" _Raava?"_

" _Ah sorry, should probably start from the beginning. Raava is the spirit that allows us to become Avatars in the first place. You are my reincarnation, just like I was the reincarnation of the Avatar before me, Leodis. Raava unites our spirits and she is what allows us to hold the power of bending multiple elements. It's um, ah-" She gnawed on her lip, not knowing how to properly explain it as it had never been properly explained to her. "For some reason, humans can only bend one specific type of bending so if Raava hadn't chosen me to be the Avatar, I probably would have only been a waterbender. It's kind of genetic I guess? Don't question it because I don't really know myself. But anyway, what you experienced that day is called the Avatar State."_

" _The Avatar State?" The girl gave an affirmative nod. "What's that?"_

" _We're getting to it if you give me a second, pipsqueak." The boy shrunk down and muttered a soft sorry, Sena reaching over and chopping him on the head. "Don't worry about it, but don't interrupt! Raava empowers the Avatar State, allowing us to draw upon the experience of those before us in our moments of need. It's why you were able to bend yourself out of the water how you did, you were channeling my experience as a waterbending master. During the Avatar State, you are able to do near unrivaled feats of power, especially when you learn to activate it on your own. It's a power boost in a sense, the strength of the past Avatars supporting you. In the Avatar State, you will be nearly unstoppable."_

" _Nearly?" The boy spoke again before suddenly covering his mouth with his hands, cowering back as Sena loomed over him with a shadow across her face, hand posed to chop his head again. "Sorry!" He squeaked. She sat back with a tsk, rolling her eyes at him as she continued to speak._

" _Yes nearly. The Avatar State has one major weakness. If you are killed in that state, it will be the end for you, and for the rest of us. The Avatar cycle will shatter, and it won't be reborn. Or at least, that's what Leodis told me." She glanced over at the kid only to start with surprise as she watched him pull a notebook out of nowhere and start jotting things down while mumbling at a high speed. What the hell? She thought, watching in silence as his pencil burned its lead across the page. It went on like that for another 2 minutes before the pencil stilled and Izuku was suddenly in her face, his eyes burning with curiosity._

" _Has anyone ever died in the Avatar State? Obviously not since you said that would end the cycle, did you ever learn how to activate the Avatar State on your own? Will you teach me? If it's a power boost then it's kind of like strength augmentation where the more experience you have the stronger the boost, so theoretically I should be stronger than you right since I have an additional-ack!" He stopped himself suddenly as he once again felt the dangerous aura emanating from Sena's spiritual form. So scary, he thought, clutching his notebook to his chest._

" _You need to get your mumbling issue under control! Or at least be silent when you do it." She spared him a small glare before picking out two of his questions to answer. "Yes, I learned to control the Avatar State on my own, no I won't teach you." She ignored his sudden exclamation of why, powering on like she hadn't heard him. "It's something that every Avatar has to learn on their own, it's a part of becoming a fully realized Avatar. Learn it, and villains will be hard-pressed to beat you. But remember that you aren't unstoppable in that form, it will be your downfall." A dark expression crossed her face momentarily before she shook it away, giving the kid a lopsided grin. "Now that that explanation is over, back to your forms! I want 10 more reps and then you're good to go." Rather than groaning like Sena had used to do herself, he nodded with determination and sprang to his feet, running back to where he was practicing his forms and immediately dropped into them, moving steadily through his stances. A wistful smile crossed her face as the image wavered and 16-year-old Sena was there instead, complaining about how the earthbending movement was so rigid compared to her free-flowing waterbending style. As quick as the image appeared it was gone, and she was left looking at her only purpose in this lifetime. She would make sure that she prepared him for anything, and that he would not meet the same end that she did by that man._

* * *

The next day brought Izuku's discharge and his quick flight from Recovery Girl's office. The healing heroin had lectured him for nearly a half-hour about his reckless behaviors (though it wasn't his fault that he had already been to her multiple times even though the year just started), and then forced him to heal his own cuts and bruises while watching him interestedly as he had done so. As soon as she was finished she had told him not to bend for the rest of the day and sent him on his way. His footsteps echoed through the halls of U.A as he made his way towards the exit, hair shadowing his eyes as he thought back on the attack. Unconsciously his hands curled into fists. _I have to get stronger_. He vowed. He wouldn't allow anything to hurt him like that creature had done ever again, he wouldn't allow his classmates to be threatened, wouldn't allow his _friends_ to be threatened.

"Midori!" His eyes snapped up from their position on the ground as he stepped out of the building, immediately being attacked by a blur of pink. Familiar arms threw themselves around his body, and a pink-haired head buried itself into a way too big hoodie that Yagi-san had brought for him to change into, seeing as his gym uniform had been ruined. _Ruined by bloodstains, the garment being soaked by the river of blood that flew from Izuku's head, flew from his chest, mingled with blood from his shredded skin as he was slammed, again and again, knowing nothing but pain, pain, pai-_

"Hey, Midoriya! How are you feeling? You were so manly!" Izuku was brought out of his memories by Kirishima's exclamation, his bandaged arms coming up to wrap themselves around his shaking pink-haired friend slowly. He had never hugged anyone besides his mom and Kacchan (though he hadn't dared hug the boy since Kacchan gained his quirk) before. It was strange, nice, but strange. He gave Kirishima a tired smile, his eyes landing on the red-haired boy who gave him a shark looking grin, Izuku's smile getting a little bigger as he noticed Kacchan standing far away from them with his hands in his pockets.

"I'm fine, Kirishima-kun. Just a little tired still. How are you guys? Why are you here?" The golden-eyed girl finally removed herself from his chest, stepping back as she gave him a bright smile.

"We heard from a little birdie that you were getting let out today, Bakugou volunteered to take you home-" The explosive blonde glared at Mina so hard that if his glare could kill, Mina would be dead ten times over.

"-No the fuck I didn't Raccoon eyes!" The girl waved him away, her smile changing to a smirk as she continued to speak as if she wasn't interrupted.

"And so Eiji and I volunteered to tag along, and now I'm feeling kind of hungry so let's go grab ramen!" Izuku's eyes watered a little before he brought his bandage free hands up to rub his eyes quickly before the tears had the chance to fall. _I never thought anyone would care about me like this besides mom._ He gave them all the brightest smile he could manage, Mina grabbing his now crooked and scarred hand, dragging him forward. A dark look crossed Izuku's face for a moment as his eyes landed on his scars, but then the moment passed and was gone as Kirishima threw his arm over Bakugou, dragging the boy along with them despite Kacchan's constant death threats. The fledgling Avatar glanced over at Mina (who was still holding his hand and didn't that make Izuku blush a bright red when he realized), who was chatting about anything and everything.

"I'm sorry if I scared you all." He suddenly spoke, not knowing where the words came from. The group slowed to a stop in the middle of the sidewalk, people filtering around them as they did so. He tilted his head forward, chewing on his lip as he allowed the words to spew out. "I didn't mean to be so vicious with the Nomu, and I didn't mean to make you all watch me get hurt but Aizawa-sensei needed help and-" A sparking hand suddenly clapped itself on his shoulder, the sizzling palm not hot enough to hurt but hot enough to jolt him back into awareness. Mina had been pushed away from him towards Kirishima, and an angry ash blonde was towering over him, and an aura of death wafting from him.

"So what, you regret saving these extras, shitty Deku?" The green-haired boy shrunk back as Kacchan got as close to him as possible. He shook his head frantically waving his hands.

"No Kacchan that's not-"

"So then why the fuck are you apologizing, nerd? Tsk. Saying that you scared us all. You're too weak for someone to be afraid of you. If it was me I would've blasted the thing sky high with no hesitation, so shut the hell up got it? These extras are buying us ramen, so don't ruin the fucking mood!" The palm left his shoulder and the explosion user gave his childhood friend one more nasty glare before storming off into the crowd, his hands tucked deep into his pockets. "Hurry up fuckfaces!" He shouted behind him, and they all scrambled to keep up with him. Mina caught up to him first and was currently punching him in the arm, saying something that made Bakugou turn towards her and bark something that Izuku was still too far back to here. He made to move a little faster when an arm tossed itself around his shoulder, forcing the tired boy to slow down.

"Kirishima-kun?" The spiky red-haired boy was silent for a moment while they walked, almost as if he was composing himself before speaking.

"No one is afraid of you, Midoriya. Sure, it was pretty weird seeing you all glowy and stuff like you were, and yeah it was a little jarring to see you literally spear the thing with a piece of rock." A shadow crossed Midoriya's face as Kirishima kept speaking, and for a moment he couldn't really hear the boy. At first, he hadn't fully remembered what had happened while he was in the Avatar State. It was still coming back to him, piece by piece, allowing him to see the type of monster that he had become while in that state. The hand that dangled by his arm squeezed it lightly, Izuku's eyes darted over to Kirishima as the shark-toothed boy brought the attention back to him. "It was really manly what you did, Midoriya. If it wasn't for you, Aizawa and Thirteen would be way more injured than they are, and Bakubro would probably be dead. The monster was gunning for him next wasn't it? When you suddenly went all glowy?"

_Izuku couldn't focus, his vision going in and out, ears filling with the sound of static-like his mom had fallen asleep without turning the tv off and the channel had changed to one that wasn't used. He could faintly hear his classmates yelling for someone to move, for Bakugou to move. Their screams were tinged with desperation and fear as if something bad was going to happen to that person if they didn't follow their classmates' instructions, that something was going to happen if they didn't move-_

Izuku shook his head to clear out the image, his silence being Kirishima's answer. "You did what you had to do, Midoriya-kun. None of us would ever be scared of you for that." He gave the OFA user a smile as they came to a stop next to their other friends in front of the ramen shop that they had come to the last time they had gone out to get ramen together, just a few days ago. It was hard to believe that Izuku had barely been at U.A for a week, yet everything had changed so much already.

"Thanks, Kirishima-kun." He whispered, the words being the light that he needed to drive the shadows that had been steadily creeping in on him from the time he had been able to form coherent thoughts. He gave the rest of his friends a small smile, Bakugou rolling his eyes at him and looking away while Mina gave him a thumbs up. As they ate their ramen, they talked about random things that caused all of them, even Kacchan, to laugh at some point. For a moment they weren't hero students who just survived their first brush with villainy, they were just regular kids hanging out getting ramen with their friends. They were able to forget about what had been a life or death situation, just for a moment.

Only for a moment.

* * *

Yagi Toshinori sat on a sandy bench, leaning his chin into his palm as he gazed out at the calm sea. The waning moon sat high in the sky, the stars shining brightly down upon him. Next to him, a short old man sat clad in a khaki one-piece suit with a yellow scarf covering his neck. His brown eyes were watching the man next to him, and he moved without warning, punching the man in the arm hard enough to send him off the bench and into the sand below with a crash. He pushed himself off the bench and stood above his groaning pupil, giving the man a hard stare.

"You don't visit me anymore Toshinori. You don't call, you barely write, and then you have the nerve to drag a poor old man out of his home at such a late hour as if I'm at your beck and call."

"Sensei-" Whatever the quivering man was about to say was suddenly cut off by the sound of a wave crashing into the sand, and feet suddenly pounding on the pavement.

"Yagi-san!" Brown eyes turned to assess the approaching figure that was clad in a blue hoodie and black sweatpants, a thick white bandage wrapping around the boy's head, partially hidden by wild curly green hair. The man watched as Toshinori rose to his feet and moved swiftly, twig arms rising to wrap around the boy as he pulled him to his chest. The boy's face turned bright red, and the old man rolled his eyes at the display of affection, moving forward until he was standing behind Toshinori once more, jumping up and chopping the man on the back of the head.

"Who's this zygote?" The boy yelped as he suddenly noticed him standing there, unconsciously moving backward so he was standing behind Toshinori as opposed to next to him like he had been a moment prior. The boy's green eyes were watching him warily, assessing his every move. _This must be the boy who took on that creature._ Toshinori had filled him in on the situation to an extent, letting him know that there was an attack on U.A's campus and that one of the students had held the creature off until he was able to get there, but that had been the extent of it. He hadn't mentioned that the student was his successor. _I should kill you, Toshinori. Nana, what the hell am I supposed to do with him?_ The man rolled his eyes as he heard a hint of laughter in the wind, looking at Toshinori expectantly.

"S-s-sensei t-this is Midoriya Izuku. Midoriya-shounen, this is my master, G-gran Torino." The old man whacked Toshinori again as he noticed the man's shaking legs, taking pleasure in his torment.

"It's nice to meet you, Gran Torino sir!" The boy gave him a smile that didn't reach his eyes, looking impossibly tired. Sorahiko moved until he was in the boy's personal space, watching him contemplatively. Normally he would have the boy attempt to land a hit on him to see how much of his power he had access to, but he wouldn't do that tonight when the boy looked so dead on his feet.

"Hm. How much control of One For All do you have?" A shocked expression overtook the boy's face as he glanced frantically between the man and Toshinori, Toshinori immediately moving forward and saying something lowly that seemed to soothe the boy, though he still threw the man a wary look.

"Um, not a lot. I can't really use it without breaking my arms, so I mainly focus on my quirk." A wave of irritation made its way through Gran Torino's body as he turned slowly to glare at Toshinori, the blonde hair man slowly backing away from both the old man and the young one.

"How long have you had this quirk and what exactly did Toshinori teach you on using it?" Unaware of the rising danger Izuku spoke freely, answering the questions that he was asked. Sorahiko's vision tinted red as he nodded to himself. _The boy has had One For All for only 2 months. Toshinori gave it to him the day of U.A's entrance exam and told him to clench his ass cheeks and yell smash._ A tick appeared on Gran Torino's head as he forced the urge to kill Toshinori down, instead turning back towards the new One For All user. _Nana, guide him_. He shook his head, rubbing the bridge of his nose.

"Alright, ignore everything and anything that Toshinori has ever taught you. We're starting from the beginning. When did Chiyo clear you to be active again?" The boy tilted his head in confusion, causing Gran Torino to let out another long sigh. "Recovery girl, zygote." The green haired boy rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment as he spoke.

"Technically not for another week because of my arms. But part of my quirk allows me to heal myself so I should be ready to get back into the swing of things tomorrow or the day after once I get some sleep and am able to use my quirk again." Gran Torino nodded before waving the boy away.

"Alright, Toshinori will bring you to my place on Friday and we'll start your training then. Toshinori!" The man suddenly barked, watching the way the pro heroes back snapped into attention.

"Yes!"

"Don't be late or I'll reintroduce you to your old training regiment." He gave the man one last threatening glance. "Later kid." Without waiting for a response the man jetted off, wondering how a man so powerful could be so dimwitted.

* * *

Izuku laid in bed, eyes staring at the ceiling. It had been a long day and a long night. His mom had just tucked him into bed minutes ago, and despite him wanting to protest that he wasn't a child anymore, he let her after seeing how distraught she was (and if deep down he secretly enjoyed it, it would be something that stayed with him). His mother had never thought he could be a hero, and as such had never thought that he would be in as much danger as he was already in. He was sorry for that much, but he wouldn't regret it. He wished he could roll on his side since that was how he normally slept, but he knew he couldn't as a result of his still broken arm.

 _Your bones were shattered, I couldn't fully heal the fractures and breaks as I was entirely focused on your ribs and the most damaged areas of your arms. I can pull you in for another session, but not for another couple of days. I don't want to kill you from exhaustion._ He let out a soft sigh as he closed his eyes, focusing on his breathing.

 _Inhale_.

He would work on his arms himself after class tomorrow when he had the chance to. He wanted to learn more about healing than just being able to heal scrapes, less serious cuts, and bruises.

_Exhale._

He vaguely remembered partially healing Aizawa-sensei and Thirteen while he was in the Avatar State, but he had only been able to do it to the extent that he had because of Sena's spirit being at the forefront and helping him.

_Inhale._

He wanted to be able to do it on his own, who knew when he would need to heal a broken bone or bring someone back from the brink of death. He would ask Recovery girl if she would allow him to practice around her when she declared him healed, he decided. It was his last thought before he fell asleep, only to be immediately transported into a dream.

_Fire._

_Flames roared around him, consuming buildings, sending plumes of ash into the air, choking them all with smoke. Around him people rushed back and forth, pillars of Earth rising between the burning area of the city and the parts that had yet to catch flame, streams of water being sent forth only to shimmer and evaporate before coming in contact with the intense heat. Panic rose in his body as he stood there, watching the sun be blot out by the dark smoke, watching as day disappeared into a haze induced night. He had to get home, his house was where the fire was, his house was probably burning-_

" _Sena!" The shout of his name had him turning around, blue eyes gazing fearfully at a dark-skinned man that was his mirror image suddenly kneeled before him, grabbing his shoulders roughly. "Thank goodness you're okay. Your mother, have you seen her?" The relief that he had felt at seeing him suddenly disappeared, a cold feeling clutching his heart as he slowly shook his head, words for once failing him. The man had a stricken look on his face as he whipped around, abruptly letting go of his shoulders. "Stay here, I'll come back for you!"_

" _Daddy, wait!" But the man didn't wait, pulling the canteen on his waist open as he ran forward, hopping over one of the raised barriers as he darted back in the direction of their house. Izuku followed him without hesitation, eyes alight with fear but eyebrows narrowed in determination. He was the Avatar! He had to help somehow, he had to save his town from being burnt to the ground. A cough tore itself from his throat as a hand suddenly wrapped itself around his arm, yanking him backward._

" _Sena, what the hell are you doing?"_

" _Hakoda, let me go! My parents are that way, my house-"_

" _Sena you need to get the hell out of here! It's_ _ **him**_ _! We can't be caught here, we need to go-"_

" _Hakoda let me the hell go, my house, it's right there-" He yanked as hard as he could, hitting the ground as he was released from his friend's grip. He coughed again harshly, offering his friend an apologetic look as he rose to his feet, Hakoda diving for him again, only for both of them to freeze as Sena's parents appeared at the doorway of their house. Izuku's mother was cradled in her father's arms, face buried into his chest. Izuku's father was coughing harshly, a bubble of water around his mouth and nose allowing him to get a semblance of fresh air._

" _Daddy, mom!" He yelled, reaching forward as a loud cracking sound echoed through the air. To Izuku, everything happened in slow motion. He reached forward impossibly slow, a scream rising through his throat as he moved, wishing he had water, wishing he could earthbend, wishing he could do_ _ **something**_ **.** _He was forced to watch as their flaming roof gave way, crashing into the walls below it. The walls shuttered and screamed as they were forced downward, caving in like a house of cards. Blue met blue, his father's mouth forming his name, Izuku's opened in a wordless scream as he reached out for his father, searching for his father's blood, searching for something that he could use to pull the man forward- all for naught. Time resumed its frantic motion as Izuku and Hakoda stood still, Hakoda's arms wrapped around Izuku's waist as tears pooled in the innocent wide blue eyes. Dust rose from the ruins of the still-burning house and to Izuku the world fell still._

 _And then all he knew was a hot white glowing_ _ **rage**_.


	13. Feelings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I could have done more! I should have done more-"
> 
> "What else could you have done?" His mentor's voice was sharp now, his eyes sparkling with an emotion that was unfamiliar to Izuku. "Died?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys nearly all caught up, one more chapter and then you'll be at the mercy of my updating schedule which is definitely about to slow down as school as resumed for this semester. At least there's only 2 more after this one, cheers to that! 
> 
> I just wanted to let you guys know that there is a mention of panic attacks and remembered trauma in this chapter just so no one is caught unaware!

Midoriya Inko was worried. Ever since Izuku came home after the villain attack he had been distant and withdrawn, so unlike his normal self. Inko knew it was only normal after experiencing something traumatic, especially after having lived through a few situations like that herself, but never had she been attacked by a villain. Never had she almost been _killed_ by one like her son nearly had. Sure his teachers had tried to sugarcoat it for her, but Inko knew her baby boy, and minor injuries wouldn't have led to him walking into the house with arms bandaged all the way up to his shoulders. It wouldn't have led to her baby having bandages wrapped around from the bottom of his abdomen all the way up to his chest, or a thick bandage wrapped underneath his curly hair. It possibly could have led to the little limp that he still had when he walked that was gone the next morning after he had sat in the tub for nearly an hour, but Inko knew better. Minor injuries wouldn't have caused the light in her son's eyes to dull the way they did, and they wouldn't have allowed him to lean into her embrace like he did when the doctors had mistakenly declared that he would never have a quirk. Izuku hadn't cried tears of sadness in front of her in so long, he was always crying over nonsensical things (something that he had gotten from her), but to see the tears streaming down his face as he woke up screaming at 3 in the morning, to feel his chest heaving and to hear his choked and stuttering sobs as she held him to her own chest, carding her fingers through his hair, it broke her heart.

"Mom! I'm heading to school!" He gave her a small smile, her heart shattering more as she noticed it wasn't the normal thousand-watt smile that he normally gave her. She gave him a soft smile of her own, moving over to him and running one hand through his unruly hair as she suddenly pulled him into a hug.

"I love you Izu. Let me know if your friends kidnap you again for food okay?" He gave her a sheepish smile and rubbed the back of his head. She watched him slip on his signature red shoes, and then he was gone. As soon as the door swung shut beneath him, she sat down heavily on a dining room chair, putting her head in her hands. She was so tempted to pull him out of U.A and send him to a regular high school, one where he wouldn't be threatened by villains, one that wouldn't cause him to have nightmares-

But she didn't want to take away his dream, didn't want him to resent her. Inko had failed her son once. _I'm so sorry Izuku!_ She wasn't going to do it again. Despite her misgivings about the school, she knew it was making her son happy. He had friends at U.A, friends that would drag him off with them to grab food after school before heading home, friends that escorted him home once he was released from the infirmary to make sure that he was fine. He was even hanging out with Katsuki again, something that had come to a complete stop when the boys were in middle school. A heavy sigh left her lips as she realized she would have to trust U.A to look after her precious son, and that she would have to trust him to get strong enough to protect himself. _Oh, Izuku_. She thought wistfully. If she looked hard enough she could see herself sitting on the ground, a blanket covering her head as she asked the hero to come to save her. She could see a tiny Izuku bursting into the living room with his All Might onesie on, a smile so wide it covered his entire face on his cheeks. She could see him growing up, gaining his quirk late, and then training so hard that he would sometimes come home and fall right asleep on the couch, leaving Inko to carry him into his room and tuck him into his blankets.

The image changed and shifted to Izuku as he was now, standing tall with a bright grin on his face, bookbag in his hand, red sneakers on his feet. The image waved at her and turned around, disappearing into a mist.

_Izuku, my baby you're really cool. Please, be safe for me._

* * *

When Izuku got to class that morning, he almost immediately wished he could go home. The moment he had entered, everyone went silent beside his normal friend group (Mina, Kirishima, Kacchan, Kaminari, Uraraka, and Iida). Uraraka and Kirishima gave him a thumbs up, Mina a peace sign, and Kacchan ignored him like normal while Kaminari just waved. He had hurried to his seat and sat down, staring resolutely at the board as the rest of the class slowly started speaking again, wondering who was going to be their substitute for the day when the classroom door slid open and a mummy stepped in.

"Good morning." The class screamed as Aizawa-sensei stepped into the room, most of his body wrapped in bandages. The man let out a sigh as the class began speaking all at once, no one but Aizawa noticing the odd look that crossed Izuku's face as he looked at the underground hero, a heavy feeling settling in his gut.

"Sensei, you are back too soon! You should still be resting!" Iida had risen to his feet, making his choppy motions through the air as most of the class spoke up in agreement with him.

"Sit down Iida, and I'm fine. The old lady goes overboard with her treatment." Aizawa shuffled over to the board, picking up a piece of chalk with his non-bandaged right hand. Was that the hand that Izuku had healed? He couldn't remember, he couldn't fully remember what exactly he had done to protect his teacher, but all he knew was that he obviously didn't do enough if the man was still wrapped in bandages that way.

 _You can't fix everyone._ Sena's voice flashed in his mind and he chewed on his lip, looking down at the desk as he did so, hands curling into fists. _Even so, it didn't stop the hot flash of guilt that ran through him._ A jolt to his desk had him looking up, Kacchan giving him a death glare as the boy turned back around to face the front of the room. A small smile crossed Izuku's face before disappearing as quickly as it came. Kacchan always knew when Izuku was in a mood, it was why the boy's previous torment of him was so effective. Kacchan always knew when and where to strike, which made Izuku seriously glad that they were kind of friends again.

"In 2 weeks we will be hosting U.A's sports festival-"

"Isn't it too soon?"

"What if the villains attack the festival-"

"Quiet." The single word was enough to cause a complete silence to descend over the classroom before their teacher began speaking once more. "I think it's illogical to host it, but the sport's festival isn't just about the hero course. It's a chance for students from the other courses to showcase what they've been working on and how they've improved as well. There won't be any villain attacks on the festival because nearly every pro-hero that ever was will be there, in addition to U.A's own security. I know some of you are still shaken by the events of last week. Just know that I promise as your homeroom teacher that we are doing our best to keep you all safe, and know that if you need to talk I'm here, and so is Hounddog, your school counselor." Izuku didn't hear anything that Aizawa-sensei had said after that, the man droning on for a few minutes longer before dismissing them.

* * *

Izuku stood next to Kacchan in front of the door, looking at the crowd that stood surrounding it. They had been preparing to leave class and head to lunch after the mummified version of Aizawa-sensei had dismissed them only to find their exit blocked. At the front of the crowd stood a purple-haired boy with bags under his eyes that Izuku didn't know, and directly behind him stood some members of class 1-B.

"So this is the legendary class 1-A. It doesn't look like much." The purple-haired boy drawled, his equally purple eyes roving over the classroom until they came to a stop at Izuku. "A class full of students who think they're worth something simply because they survived a villain attack. Students who couldn't even protect themselves. The sports festival is coming up and if students from other courses score high enough, we can transfer into the hero course. Which means that one of you will lose your spot, so don't get comfortable. This is a declaration of war." The anger that had been radiating off of Kacchan turned to murderous fury and had Izuku turned around he would have seen fire in the eyes of all his classmates. He had been the most seriously injured out of the entire class, and there was only one person that the purple-haired boy could have been speaking about. _Students who couldn't even protect themselves_ Izuku mouthed to himself, his hands unconsciously curling into fists. He took a step back, his head feeling like he was swimming underwater.

_A giant hand wrapped itself around his ribs, Izuku letting out a scream of agony that turned into a gurgle of pain, his back arching as blood left his lips-_

_He was brought up into the air and smashed into the ground, pain flooding his body as every nerve screamed and every cell was set ablaze. He was brought down into the ground over_

_And over_

_And over again. He couldn't breathe, he was going to die-_

" _Deku-kun, we're right here with you, breathe-"_

A hand grasping his shoulder had him jerking to the side, eyes wide and chest heaving with panic. Everyone was silent around him as Uraraka kneeled next to him, and he didn't even remember when he had crouched down onto the floor, head buried into his knees. "There you go Deku-kun, breathe with me. In and out." He followed her instructions, following along with her breathing until he felt the claw that had wrapped itself around his chest loosen. His cheeks flushed red as he felt mortified by everyone's attention, his eyes staring at the ground.

"Listen here you fucking extra. You see that shitty nerd over there on the fucking floor? That's the fucking one who got injured trying to protect the other extras." Izuku's eyes snapped up as Kacchan spoke, watching him get in close to the tired looking boy without touching him despite the fact that Izuku knew every nerve in Katsuki's body was probably telling him to blow the boy sky high. "You should learn your fucking place before you come in here spouting bullshit about declarations of war. As far as I'm concerned, all of you extras are below our notice. We fought against fucking villains who were trying to put us in a damn casket. To us, you extras are nothing more than pebbles on our path" All eyes remained on Kacchan as Uraraka helped Izuku to his feet, the green haired boy giving her a soft thanks, resisting the urge to flee on the spot. He felt a hand wrap itself in his and he turned to the side, Mina giving him a questioning look, a frown crossing her face when Izuku shook his head.

"Oi, shitty hair, raccoon eyes. Let's go." The smoldering boy pushed his way out of the crowd, shoulder checking the general course student as he did so. The crowd parted like the red sea as Class 1-A made their way through, the other students placing themselves so that they were surrounding their green-haired classmate. Kaminari had made his way forward and thrown an arm around the boy, chatting about some ideas he had for trying not to short out. Uraraka and Iida were behind him, with Mina and Kirishima walking in front of him as they flanked Bakugou.

"That was totally uncool of them Deku-kun. You totally can protect yourself!" Izuku gave the gravity girl a tiny smile, eyes still shadowed by his hair as he walked.

"T-thanks, Uraraka-chan."

"I agree, Midoriya-kun. We should report them to the teachers at once! It is rude for them to speak to someone in that manner!" Iida's arms chopped through the air and Izuku shook his head once, wishing the conversation would end.

"It's okay Iida-kun. I didn't mind." He fiddled with his fingers, letting out a soft sigh that only Kaminari heard since the boy was directly next to him. "Besides, it's not like he was wrong." He mumbled under his breath. The electricity user gave him a small frown, one that Deku didn't notice as they entered the cafeteria. Kaminari made an excuse about going to the bathroom and slipped down the hall, walking until he found the teachers' lounge. Knocking on the door, he slid in when a booming voice called for him to answer.

"Hey sensei. I think you should talk to Midoriya." He stated, despite knowing that his friend wouldn't want anyone to know. A frown crossed his face as he began explaining what he had noticed to his teacher, and he almost felt like he was betraying his friend. _No._ His mind whispered in a voice that sounded suspiciously like his mom. _The best thing you can do when you know you can't help someone yourself is to get them help. The same thing goes for you, Denki._ The feeling of guilt still stayed, but as his blonde hair teacher leaned forward so that he could listen intently to what Denki was saying, the electric boy knew that what he had done was the best thing to get his friend help.

**xxxXXXxx**

The cafeteria was loud with students from all of the courses laughing and talking with each other as they ate. Izuku sat at a table with Uraraka and Iida immediately next to him, Mina, Kirishima, and Kacchan directly across. Kaminari usually sat next to Mina, but still hadn't come back after his sudden departure at the start of the lunch period. Izuku sat with his eyes lowered, focusing intently on his katsudon that he barely touched. He picked at it with his chopsticks, picking up a clump of rice only to immediately lower it again. He was vaguely aware of the eyes watching him, and he immediately raised the same clump of rice again and put it in his mouth, chewing slowly as he felt the eyes slowly disappear off of him. He didn't really have an appetite, and even though katsudon was one of his favorite meals, he couldn't force himself to eat without his stomach squirming uncomfortably. A sudden hush descending over the cafeteria made Izuku frown, lifting his eyes from his food only to jump as a giant hand suddenly clapped itself onto his shoulder. He twisted around to see who was touching him, and he saw Kaminari slide into his regular seat out of the corner of his eye.

" **Midoriya-shounen. Come with me please."** Izuku nodded, setting his chopsticks down and rising to his feet, grabbing his backpack with his hands and allowing it to dangle since he couldn't swing it over his back yet. He nodded to his friends, not saying anything as he spotted the guilty expression on Kaminari's face. _What's going on?_ He thought, instead trudging out after All Might. They walked together in silence until they reached where All Might wanted to take them, the man opening the sliding door to allow Izuku in before following after the boy himself. The door shut with a soft click, All Might locking the door before immediately deflating into the familiar form of Yagi Toshinori.

"Yagi-san?" Midoriya tilted his head in confusion, only to stiffen up as he found himself in the man's arms for the second time in two days. He didn't know why he was here, didn't know what it was about-

"It is okay," The older man started to say as Izuku finally began to relax into the embrace, raising his still bandaged arms to hesitantly wrap around the blonde haired man. "To be afraid still, to be affected by what happened to you." Though the words were said delicately, it sent an unpleasant shock through Izuku's body. He sprang backward out of instinct, immediately regretting it as he felt the loss of warmth, but his mentor's face stayed impassive as he watched him. The blue eyes were piercing him, and Izuku wanted nothing more than to run away.

"W-what are you t-talking a-about?"

"Kaminari told me about what happened during class. Your minor breakdown." Izuku took another step back, hot fury rising up at the fact that Kaminari would _dare_ to tell, only for that fury to crest and die instantly as Izuku's rational side took over. _He was worried about you. They all are. Kaminari-kun did the right thing and you know it._ Emerald eyes slid shut as the boy sat down heavily, unaware of when he had moved to a couch. His fingers tangled themselves in his hair as he remained silent, not knowing what to say. _He must look so weak to All Might. It was only a matter of time before he showed his true colors, Izuku would always be useless, and would always be a burden. Even if the name had a new meaning now, he would always and forever be a Deku. It's only a matter of time before All Might sees that and asks for his quirk back-_

"I wouldn't dream of taking it back from you." A hand wrapped itself around his arm, electric eyes staring into haunted ones. "I chose you because I saw myself in you, you who sprung in to help another person who even the heroes thought was beyond saving. You who stood in front of the fire and allowed yourself to get burned so that your classmates wouldn't be injured. There is nothing wrong with still being affected by it, especially when it's so recent." The man opened his mouth to say something more and hesitated, looking to the side as he took a deep breath. "Even the best of heroes are affected by things like that."

"Even you?" Izuku spoke without realizing it, his hands shaking as he balled them into fists, gripping his uniform pants as tightly as his crooked and scarred fingers would allow him to. His leafy green hair hung into his eyes, his lips in a straight line as he sat ramrod straight. He was a dam about to burst, and he forced back the incoming waters, refusing to show even more weakness.

"Even me. There have been times where there were people who I couldn't save, both people I didn't know and people who were extremely close to me, people that I wasn't strong enough to save. But _you were_ , kid. Aizawa and Thirteen have you to thank for the fact that you provided first aid to hold them over until professionals could arrive. Your classmates have you to thank that no one was seriously injured besides a few scrapes and bruises. You were extremely heroic, Midoriya-shounen." Izuku inhaled sharply and let out a shuddering gasp, shoulders trembling minutely as he tried harder and harder to force back the rising tidal wave.

"I could have done _more!_ I should have done _more-_ "

"What else could you have done?" His mentor's voice was sharp now, his eyes sparkling with an emotion that was unfamiliar to Izuku. "Died?"

_A hand was wrapping itself around his chest, he was being slammed into the ground repeatedly. His chest was on fire, his chest was swimming, he was freezing, he was trembling, he was gasping, he was_ _**dying** _ **-**

A sharp rap to the head jolted him out of the memories, a panicked gasp escaping his throat as he suddenly brought his hands up to rub his still bandaged chest, averting his eyes. He couldn't bear to stare into his mentor's knowing eyes, if he said anything else then he was going to-

"There was nothing more that you could have done, you hear me kid?" He bit his lip hard, leaning his head forward as the tidal wave rose up high, and he hurriedly tried to build the wall of the dam up higher and higher- "Izuku, you were a hero. You _are_ a hero."

The tidal wave surged and crested, crashing over the dam sending it crumbling down as Izuku squeezed his eyes shut, hot tears running down his freckled cheeks. His hands fisted themselves into his shirt as he leaned forward, a strange keening sob leaving his mouth, and suddenly he was engulfed in those twig arms once more, a chin burying itself into his hair as he removed his fists from his own shirt and instead clung to the one in front of him.

"I can't stop seeing it. I can't stop feeling it banging me into the ground, I can't stop thinking that I almost died. I can't stop thinking that I should have done more to help Aizawa-sensei and Thirteen. _I can't make it stop!_ " The grip around him tightened as Yagi let out a soft sigh, pulling away to wipe the tears still streaming from the boy's eyes.

* * *

 _He's so young, they're all so young._ Yagi watched his crying successor mournfully, guilt pulsating through his own body. He intimately knew what Midoriya was feeling, perhaps on an even greater scale. If Yagi had been there, if _All Might_ had been there, then maybe the students wouldn't have been traumatized. Maybe Aizawa and Thirteen wouldn't have been injured, maybe he wouldn't have been forced to cradle the broken body of the boy he had come to care for like his very own, maybe that very same boy wouldn't have almost _died_.

But feeling that guilt didn't change the fact that it happened, just like how him telling the boy a few measly words wouldn't suddenly make everything okay. He unconsciously raised his hand and ruffled the boy's hair, the misty eyes coming up to meet his as he gave the boy the smallest smile before speaking. "What you're feeling is natural, my boy. Maybe if I share my dealings with things like this, it may be able to help you." Yagi closed his eyes and rose to his feet, moving to sit next to the boy instead of kneeling on the ground in front of him. He wrapped an arm around Izuku's shoulder, pulling the boy so that his head was resting on Toshinori's chest, allowing him to distract himself momentarily by messing with one of the boy's curls before he began speaking once more.

"Let me tell you about something I haven't spoken about with anyone. Let me tell you about my sensei, Shimura Nana."

* * *

Izuku left Yagi-san's office feeling lighter than he had before, eyes still swollen and red, but a small smile was on his face. It wasn't his normal megawatt smile sure, and it probably wouldn't be for a while but that was okay. He would take it one step at a time, and knowing that his mentor understood what he was feeling made him feel not so alone. He took a step into his classroom, most of his classmates already sitting in their seats and chatting with one another. His entry into the room brought another hushed silence like it had this morning, and as he had earlier, Izuku ignored it instead walking over to where Kaminari was sitting at his desk, fiddling with his fingers and not speaking to anyone. The green-haired boy came to a stop beside it, putting one hand on Kaminari's shoulder and giving him a thumbs-up, flashing his friend a brighter smile to let him know that everything was alright. He could feel the relief that must have gone through Kaminari's body, his shoulder's immediately relaxing and he let out a puff of breath. They had a silent conversation as Izuku removed his hand and returned to his seat, grabbing his notebook out of his bag and preparing himself to take notes. He appreciated his friend for stepping in when he needed it, even if Izuku hadn't exactly known what he had needed for himself at that moment. As Present Mic entered the room to start their English lesson, Izuku could have sworn he saw a tall woman with a white cape and yellow gloves on her hands walk in behind Present Mic and give him a peace sign, pushing her fingers into her cheeks and pulling them up into a smile. Izuku stared for a moment, but then he blinked and she was gone, leaving him to wonder if it was a figment of his imagination or a sign of something more.


	14. Gran Torino

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Toshinori, what the hell have you been teaching this kid? He moves like a tree!"
> 
> "Trees don't move-"
> 
> "Exactly!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So now you guys are officially caught up in chapters to FFN. I'm going to try to update twice a week, though if my classes say no to that (which they already seem to be doing), then it'll only be once a week, but I'm definitely going to try my best to do twice!! Also, I think I'm getting the hang of these summary jawns if I do say so myself haha. Anyway, go forth and read!

_"Fire is the element of power." Izuku sat across from Sena in the park, legs crossed in a lotus position. Sena held a palm out towards him, and though nothing appeared, Izuku suddenly saw an image in his mind of Sena in the same position, a small flame balancing on her palm. "It's will is strong, and it will seek to overcome and dominate your own. In order to temper your flame, you must be assured of your own capabilities, otherwise it will sense your hesitation and corrupt you. Though, you already have experience with flames don't you?" She gave Izuku an appraising look, the boy staying silent as his brow furrowed. If he thought hard enough, he could see an unidentifiable man sitting in front of a two year old Izuku, small streams of fire leaving his lips as the toddler laughed and clapped. The image rippled and changed, showing instead an ash-blonde boy standing up with a smirk on his face, explosions of fire escaping from his palms. He nodded once, the woman sparing him a glance before continuing on. "I want you to try and produce a flame."_

" _But, but you just said-" He cut off as the woman gave him a sharp look, an uncustomary stern look crossing the 21 year old's face._

" _Would I put you in harm's way Izuku?" The boy shook his head, her look softening an inch as she sighed and reached forward, ruffling his hair. "If I can master firebending, as crappy as I am- I mean, as I was with it, then you can do it easily. I know it might be a little harder as fire doesn't match your natural temperament, but we have done it in nearly every lifetime that we have lived. Close your eyes and listen to my voice." Izuku followed her instructions without hesitation, lids sliding shut._

" _Follow my voice. Feel the sun, let Agni empower you. Let your chi flow, feel its flame, feel its power. Focus on its flow throughout your body, channel it" Sena's voice slowly disappeared as he found himself in a barren field, a strange creature standing directly in front of him. He felt an odd sense of calm as he stared into its scaly face, raising a single hand to put it on the creature's purple cheek. A puff of hot breath left it as it placed one claw against the tip of Izuku's chest, reared up, and breathed fire down upon him. Izuku was devoured by the flame, dying and being reborn in each cycle, master firebenders flickering by his vision as he lived and died. Some of them had white glowing eyes, while others did not, but one thing they did share was the jets of flame that left their bodies, the precision in their moments and in their movements. The cycle came to an abrupt halt, leaving Izuku staring at what appeared to be a man, though he was hidden behind the flames._ _ **It is not yet time for you to master us, young one. You still hesitate, you still fear us.**_ _Izuku opened his mouth to protest but found that he couldn't respond. He felt thousands of eyes upon him, judging him, and though he tried to curl in upon himself he could not move._ _ **I will grant you this small flame to use for this moment, so that you may open up your pathways. I look forward to seeing what you will eventually accomplish with your fire, young one.**_ _The flames roared higher, turning from the bright orange hue to a brighter blue, to a mesmerizing purple, rotating through multiple colors until it landed on emerald green. The flame rushed to him, wrapping itself around him-_

_Izuku's eyes snapped open and he let out a gasp, Sena crouched in front of him, watching him with concern._

" _Kid, what-" He moved his hand forward on autopilot, the small orange flame reflecting itself in his viridian eyes. Sena watched quietly as he closed his fist, extinguishing the flame, confusion marring his face as he stared at his hand. "Kid-"_

" _That felt weird." He offered, giving him a bright smile as the 12 year old bounced to his feet. "But it isn't my time to master fire yet. Can I go through my water forms again, Sena-Sensei? I think I'm getting closer to becoming a master this time!" Sena gave him a wordless nod, watching as he immediately darted over to the pound and slid into his forms, water wrapping around him as he began a familiar dance. She didn't know what happened to him, but from the feeling that floated over her, he had made contact with the spirit world. He was much better at the spiritual side of things than Sena was, but it concerned her. Was it because she, a spirit, was constantly around him and made him more susceptible to other spirits? Was it because he was just naturally gifted? It was something she needed to think about, something that probably wouldn't cause an issue in the future, but something she still wanted to check out anyway._

* * *

Izuku's body had never ached in the way that it was aching now, even when he had been cleaning Dagobah beach. He let out a sharp huff of breath, springing to the side as a blur of yellow and white came jetting at him once more. He threw himself to the left, his right arm lighting up with red veins as he struck out, only for the blur to dodge his hit and plant its feet into his chest, sending him careening backward where he slammed into a nearby wall, collapsing at the bottom of it in a heap of limbs.

"Toshinori, what the hell have you been teaching this kid? He moves like a tree!"

"Trees don't move-"

"Exactly!" Izuku heard a thud followed by Yagi cursing in English, and he could nearly imagine the scene of Gran Torino kicking his mentee. The bruised boy pulled himself to his feet, wincing as his back cracked. He didn't know what he was doing wrong, he was too slow and Gran Torino was too fast. They had been at this for around two hours now, Izuku being used as a kickstand for the swift old man. "Kid, take a break. Toshinori, heat up some food or something!"

"Do you still have the old microwave? The one that never heated up anything evenly?" Izuku watched the two interact, Toshinori having stopped stuttering and shaking every time Torino came near him about an hour ago. _They had a strange relationship_ , Izuku mused. It kind of reminded him of his relationship with Sena when she was still able to- He cut the thought off as a familiar pang of grief shot through his body. Even though he was able to connect with her a few times in the spirit world, it wasn't the same as having her constantly around him giving him advice when he asked for it. He had only just now, nearly a year later, stopped randomly saying things out loud, expecting to get a response back. It left a cold feeling in his chest, the fact that he was technically on his own now.

_You aren't alone, kid. I'm always with you._

"Oi, kid what are you, deaf?" Izuku yelped and hurriedly moved as another foot came zooming towards his face, barely dodging the hit as he scrambled toward where Toshinori was in the kitchen.

"Yagi san, save me!" The blonde haired man gave him a look of amusement before promptly ignoring him, turning back towards the microwave.

"So you got a new one, sensei?" Gran Torino stepped into the kitchen, giving Izuku a glare that caused him to shudder, taking a seat at the table.

"You're the one that bought me a new one-didn't I teach you not to stick big plates into the microwave? It doesn't let the food heat up evenly!"

"But this is the-" Izuku tuned the two out, focusing on the word that had just been spoken for the second time in nearly 2 minutes. _Evenly._ His mind raced and his lips began moving silently, his right hand moving quickly as if he was writing something in his notebook. He took no notice of the two men turning towards him, Toshinori looking confused, Gran Torino looking contemplative. _His old microwave was broken and it didn't heat the food up evenly, some of the food being hot, some of it being cold because the heating isn't being evenly distributed throughout everything. The same thing is going to happen now since Yagi-san used a big plate instead of a smaller one, the plate won't rotate and so the heatwaves won't be able to evenly distribute themselves throughout the food. THAT'S IT! I'M THE FOOD!_ He abruptly stood up, not noticing his chair falling as he slid into a slightly wider stance, almost as if he was squatting. It reminded him of when he first started learning bending in general, he had to allow his chi to flow through his body. He felt so stupid thinking about it, but it made sense. He had always considered his bending a part of him once he found out about it, it was his after all. Rather than thinking about One for All that way, he thought about it in about the same manner that Raava did.

 _A corrupt gift_. Though Izuku didn't consider the quirk to be corrupt, he did consider it a gift. _So if I channel it through my body like I did my chi-_ He reached for One for All, the quirk rising up to meet him. For a moment, it surged forward all at once but then it suddenly stopped as if something was holding it back, a trickle of the power rolling out and curling around him. He inhaled deeply and breathed, a wide grin crossing his face as veins of red darted over his body, only to disappear as green sparks of electricity came to life around him. He let out the breath that he didn't realize he had been holding, food in the microwave long forgotten as he grinned at the men and they smirked back at him.

"You learn fast for a zygote. Let's go." Without hesitation Gran Torino shot toward Izuku, and Izuku moved forward to meet him.

* * *

Torino Sorahiko watched as Toshinori's successor tested out the newest form of his quirk, bouncing off, or rather _attempting_ to bounce off the alleyway walls, the boy failing miserably. The old man chuckled to himself before turning away from the window and facing the skeletal form of his student, taking great pleasure in the shudder that went through the younger man's body as Sorahiko leaned forward. They hadn't been in the same room like this in years, since Sorahiko had sent Toshinori to America in order to keep him out of _that_ man's radar immediately after Toshinori graduated from U.A. The man that Gran Torino saw now was not the young man who had left him all those years ago, and despite him doing his best to teach his student to be stronger than that man, it hadn't been enough to save his stomach and one of his lungs, but it had been enough to keep him alive. Sorahiko had to be grateful for that.

"So Toshinori, have you heard the rumblings?" From the sudden cold look of anger that crossed his student's face, Torino knew that he had. It would only make sense, Torino thought. They both knew that despite All Might's best efforts that day, their common enemy had always been one of the slippery sorts.

"Yes, I have. _He's_ moving again, probably under the guise of this League of Villains that we're dealing with. Naomasa is looking into the matter for me. The creature that Iz-that Midoriya-shounen fought at the USJ had multiple quirks. There's only one person who could be responsible for that." Gran Torino nodded, reaching for the taiyaki that sat on a plate in front of him and took a big bite. He chewed it thoughtfully, allowing the two of them to stew in silence before he spoke again.

"Have you told the boy about him?" He expected rage to come over him when Toshinori shook his head slowly, but all he felt was disappointment. "So you gave the boy your quirk without letting him know all of the dangers that came along with it?"

"I told him about the possible injuries-"

"But not the fact that there is a man who killed 7 of its users, and mortally wounded the 8th?" The retort was sharp enough to make Toshinori wince, but then his student responded with anger that Sorahiko never thought he would have heard directed at him.

"I don't want him to have to worry about a fight that isn't his."

"And so when _he_ finally kills you or you die from that old injury, you expect him to find out from your murderer, is that right? Toshinori, you may have been dumb but I never thought you were this stupid."

"I am keeping him _SAFE_!" Torino watched blandly, deftly picking up his taiyaki as buffed up hands slammed into it, destroying the table. Tired old eyes watched All Might with pity as Torino took one last crunch of his favorite treat.

"Keeping him safe from what, Toshinori? From the truth? Or are you keeping yourself safe by refusing to acknowledge that you failed to kill the man who killed your master and my friend? Are you trying to pretend that he will be spared from the man's warpath as long as you defeat him? What are you trying to do, Toshinori?" The man's light tone steadily grew harsher and harsher until Toshinori transformed back to his skeletal form, sinking back into the couch that he had thrown himself out of. His hands curled in his gnarled hair as he leaned forward, a weary sigh escaping him. He didn't look up at the sound of feet padding towards him, a small hand reaching out and placing itself on his shoulder. "Toshinori, whether you like it or not you need to be honest with the boy. This reality will not end with All for One. From what you told me, he has a successor this time. You want to keep that boy safe? _Be honest with him Toshinori._ Don't let him rely on you when you can't even be honest with him." The hand left his shoulder as Gran Torino turned, exiting the room. Green lightning shot past the window before disappearing from view once more, followed by another thud. Toshinori didn't move from his spot as the door swung shut, leaving him alone once more.

* * *

The next two weeks flew by in a blur. Izuku spent the remaining time up to the sports festival training in his new form, Full Cowl, and attempting to mix it with his bending. It was strange, the fact that it didn't entirely work with every aspect of his bending. Izuku found that the form worked best for waterbending, and firebending (though he didn't actually bend any fire, just slid through his forms to see if he could use it seamlessly). It probably had something to do with the freedom of the forms, especially as it worked really well with airbending, a little _too_ well (the boy mentally winced at the image of his lightning covered form smashing into a wall from the unexpected speed boost when riding on his air scooter).

He currently stood in the park that he used to train his bending in with Sena, sliding through his waterbending forms slowly with Full Cowl sparkling around his body. At the moment, he could only channel about 3% of his power in this form without hurting himself, and if he needed to he could push it to 5% but then he started to ache and his body became a little harder to move. _But still,_ he thought, _these last two weeks had been really productive_. Izuku was growing, and at a rapid rate. He had taken to practicing his healing after his practices, and he could now heal larger cuts with ease (don't ask how he got those), and he was feeling good about the progress he was making. The only thing that would make it better was if Yagi-san would stop being so distant towards him. Ever since they had come back from Gran Torino's that night, the man had been quiet.

" _Yagi-san? Are you okay?" Izuku cast a side glance at his mentor, the man's bangs shadowing his eyes. To Izuku, he looked more haggard and tired than he had when they had arrived at Gran Torino's earlier in the day, and he wondered what was said while he was practicing that made his mentor seem so down. The blue eyed man gave Izuku a weak smile, ruffling the boy's hair._

" _I'm fine, Midoriya-shounen. Thank you for asking. Let's get you home." The man didn't speak for the rest of the trip home, leaving Izuku fidgeting and wondering if it was something that he did._ He shook his head, pushing the thoughts out of his mind. He didn't have time to think about this, the sport's festival was in two days, and today was his last day of training so that he wouldn't be too worn down before the event. _He would have to trust Yagi-san to talk to him when he was ready,_ Izuku thought before he nodded in determination, full cowl crackling back to life as he attacked an invisible enemy with vigor.


	15. Sports Festival Pt 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Here's the next chapter, it took a little longer than I thought but eh, its life. Hope everyone is doing well!

" _Midoriya. We both seem to have element-based quirks, but just because your quirk seems to make you more versatile does not mean that you're stronger than me. From what I've seen, I'm stronger than you, but All Might seems to have his eyes on you. I will defeat you today. Consider this a declaration of war" The heterochromatic eyes stared into viridian green ones that were alight with the fire of determination._

" _Todoroki-kun, I won't deny that you may be stronger than me at your full power but you aren't using it, are you? Everyone here today is going to try our hardest, and if you expect to beat me, then you need to do your best too. I accept your declaration Todoroki-kun." He watched as the red and white-haired boy turned on his heel and walked away, a frown crossing his face. He shook his head silently as Kirishima placed his hand on Izuku's shoulder, turning his head to give his friend a smile. "Class 1-A. As your class president I just want to say this before we head out, do your best!" As most of his classmates cheered alongside him, Izuku swore to do just that._

" _Welcome to U.A's annual sport's festival! Representing this year's firsties is the person who took number 1 in the entrance exam, Midoriya Izuku!" Around Izuku everything went silent as he stared up at her, mouth hanging open in shock and then snapping shut as panic overtook him. No one had told him that he was supposed to give a speech! (Somewhere in the stands, All Might shrank down remembering that he had been too busy avoiding the boy to tell him that he had to make a speech). A harsh shove shook him out of his panicked state, his head whipping around to meet the glaring red eyes of Kacchan. Izuku swallowed and walked forward, taking the stage. He fiddled with his fingers as he stepped in front of the microphone, forcing himself to take a deep breath._

" _H-hello all. I, um, I'm going to keep this uh brief. All of us are here at U.A for a reason, no matter what course we're in. We worked hard to get here, and today is the day to show off our hard work and dedication that got us here in the first place. Good luck to everyone today, may everyone do their best and go beyond. Plus ultra!"_

The children were piled into a tunnel, cramped together like sardines as they waited for the event to start. Despite being in such proximity to each other, the tunnel was completely silent, each student absorbed in their own thoughts as they did their best to come up with a plan to win, as they tried their best to figure out a way to make themselves stand out in this competition. They were doing more than just competing, though some of them had been led to believe otherwise. They were showing themselves off, they were making it clear that they were worth pursuing now in their first year, a small taste to show what would come as they progressed through their time at U.A. Most of the students had tried to congregate to the front in order to be the first out of the tunnel, though one lone figure hung out in the back. He ignored the murmurs of the crowd as he was pointed out by Present Mic, a nonexistent breeze shuffling his broccoli green hair as he cracked his neck, preparing himself. He had already engaged the button on his soles that had caused the bottoms of his shoes to disappear, and he slid back into the stance he was going to use first, eyes narrowed in determination. All he had to do was wait-

 _START!_ And there! As ice began to erupt through the tunnel, he slammed his barefoot into the ground and sent himself shooting up straight into the air, only to be propelled forward by a gust of wind that sent him careening out of the tunnel and ruffled the hair of those he shot over. He hit the ground rolling, scrambling back up to his feet while simultaneously yanking a shard of glass out of the ground and turning it into water, wrapping it around his arm like a snake as he dashed forward. A bright grin crossed his face as he noticed that most of his classmates had avoided Todoroki's attack, his eyes unconsciously searching for his friends. He was given a pink thumbs up and a sharp-toothed grin, his head turning as a brown bob appeared in his field of vision. He nodded once and continued running, passing more and more of his classmates until giants of green appeared in his vision. _Falling_ giants of green. He moved without hesitation, slamming his feet into the ground causing two pillars of earth to rise up and impale themselves into the giant robot directly in front of him, darting under it as its other two brethren fell. He hoped that no one had gotten injured by the other two falling, and his hopes were confirmed when a familiar shock of red hair popped out of one, and an unfamiliar sheen of silver popped out of the other. He returned his attention to the front of him just in time to throw himself out of the way of a giant fist embedding itself in the ground in front of him. A sharp thrust of his palm had him flying upwards onto the robot's arm, red shoe covered feet dashing up the edge. The moment his feet hit the robot's shoulders, he used another burst of airbending to send him to the giant's neck. He slammed his water covered arm into it, sending the water shooting into its neck joints and freezing. He didn't know if it would have an effect, but it would be enough to prevent the robot from locking in on him again. He threw himself off, twisting in midair and catching himself on his air scooter as he zoomed forward. This is what he had been training for in these last two weeks, using every trick that he remembered from both his memories and the memories that he had of Sena. _Some of them weren't the most graceful_ , he thought as he stumbled momentarily, catching his stride again a second later _but they worked._ His eyes were focused on the two figures in front of him, one propelling themselves forward towards the second obstacle with explosions, the other one skating forward on ice, leaving an icy trail behind him. _He would catch up_. He moved swiftly towards them, legs in a lotus position and fists pressed together as he raced forward on the air scooter. _He had to make All Might proud after all._

* * *

"Midoriya-shounen, are you prepared for the festival?" Izuku looked at his mentor, noting how tired the already haggard-looking man seemed. It was the first time that Yagi-san had approached him since they had come back from Gran Torino's place, and though part of Izuku was happy that his mentor was finally talking to him again, another part wondered what he did wrong, and another smaller part of him positively simmered with the bitterness of being abandoned without explanation. He had tried to approach his mentor so many times with ideas, only to have the man disappear at the last moment. If there was one thing All Might was, it was slippery.

"Yeah, I think so. I'm still pretty nervous though." A skeletal hand clapped itself on his blue and white covered shoulder, sunken blue eyes staring into his confused green ones. Something passed through his mentor's eyes so quickly that Izuku could barely catch it, and then a soft smile crossed the blonde man's face.

"As you already know, my time as the symbol of peace is fading. The people will need a new symbol and as my successor, I would like for that symbol to be you. Use this festival as your platform, let them know that the next generation is here to take over, let them know that you are here!" Izuku opened his mouth to say something, only to close it again as a weird noise escaped instead. Images of All Might's wound flashed through his head, memories of their discussion after the USJ about his time frame being decreased once more. His mentor was losing time at a rapid pace, and who was to know when he would finally be out of time? _Let them know that you are here!_ He couldn't do that, he didn't think that he would make a worthy symbol-

_You're going to eventually be a leader whether you like it or not, you are the Avatar._

But it didn't matter what he thought. His quivering lip stilled as he looked up at the number one hero, nodding his head in determination. As his head moved, his hair swayed to the side, showcasing a scar that started near the middle of his forehead and disappeared into his scalp. It was something that was normally covered by his hair, and it was a souvenir of his survival at the USJ.

"Alright, I'll make you proud, All Might!" He gave the man a bright smile, waving goodbye as the intercoms sounded for the students to report to their designated rooms before the event started. He allowed the door to slide shut behind him, not noticing the sad and guilty gaze on his back, nor the tired smile on his mentor's face as the man whispered to himself.

_You already have, Izuku._

* * *

" _ **So Eraserhead, what do you make of these kids this year? We have a great bunch and it seems that your students of 1-A are taking the lead!"**_

" _Class 1-A has the advantage over some of the other classes in that they were actively engaged in a villain attack. They had to experience first hand what some pros still haven't faced, the fact that even a second's worth of hesitation can be the difference between someone's life and death. My students don't hesitate, they just leap straight into the situation while some of the other courses proceed more cautiously. Everyone is trying their best to go above and beyond in order to exhibit our core motto of Plus Ultra, and it is only Class 1-A's tragic experience that makes them stand out just a little more."_

" _ **Very enlightening Eraser, I wouldn't have even thought about that!"**_

" _Of course you wouldn't."_

" _ **Hey! Anyway, we have our first batch of students making it to our second obstacle course! The herd has already been thinned by the first stage, let's see how many more make it across this!"**_

* * *

" _Water is the element of change. As a waterbender, you must be able to adapt and go with the flow. Be ready to change in an instance, to meld with a lake, or split off into a different stream entirely. Water can be still and calm, but water can also rage and be a force of destruction. The same water that gives life, takes it. When channeling it, don't think of yourself as two separate entities because you aren't. You're merely a drop in the ocean."_

The second part of the obstacle course took shape in the form of a canyon, one that was ostensibly dug by the pro hero Power Loader, the main teacher of the support course classes, but that was not all there was to it. On both sides of the canyon lay rushing waterfalls, the spray from them soaking the multiple rocks that had been presented to the students as the path for them to cross. _Where did they get all that water?_ Izuku thought before shaking his head as his mind began to wander, he didn't have time to think about that. He could cross it using the rocks easily if they weren't wet, but that added another layer of trickery to it. He watched as a girl with pink locks shot by him using a grappling hook, watched as Kacchan propelled himself overusing his explosions, and watched Todoroki ice skate across the ropes that lay in between the rocks. There were so many options that Izuku could have used, but he decided to go out of his normal realm and step into that of a waterbender. _Flow, adapt, overcome._ He couldn't use the rocks, he didn't want to risk accidentally slipping and falling on the first few wet ones (something that he noticed had a lot of students hesitating and heading for the ropes), but he also didn't want to use the ropes because that's where most of the students were heading. He could propel himself overusing airbending, but he didn't want to risk accidentally knocking anyone off the rocks. It left him with only one option. Izuku backed away from the edge of the cliff, inhaling deeply as he slid into a runner's stance, propelling himself forward with a burst of air. He cleared the edge of the cliff and immediately positioned himself into a swan dive position, just like Sena had shown him when she first started teaching him. His ears popped from the sudden altitude change but he ignored it, placing his hands together in a knife position as he fell. He could hear screams coming from above and then they were gone as he made contact with the water, slicing through it. He took a moment to reorient himself, shooting through the water towards the other side like a jet, and when he felt he was nearing the cliff wall he spun his arms in a familiar motion. In a move reminiscent to when he was 8 and had discovered he was the Avatar, he shot upward on a funnel of water only this time he was missing the white glow of his eyes. As he reached his peak height the funnel of water dissipated, a quick burst of air sending him hitting the ground rolling once more. He quickly passed a lot of the competition, dodging and leaping over the crowds until he was at the edge of the third obstacle, watching Todoroki and Bakugou battle it out while setting off pink blasts that each of them quickly tried to dodge. He slammed his foot onto the ground, closing his eyes as the vibrations ran up his body telling him exactly where the mines were. _This is my chance._ He thought fiercely as red veins began to dance across his scratched up and soaking wet body. His curly hair rose minutely as he slid his leg back, arms and body slowly beginning to spin. _This is my chance, I have to do it, I have to make my mom and All Might proud! I have to make Sena proud!_ His viridian eyes lit up with electricity, his body following suit. He could faintly hear exclamations of surprise around him, people wondering what he was doing, well, he would show them. _Full cowling, 3%. Eastern Air Blast!_ He shot his arms behind him, the air he was bending compounding behind him and sending him blasting forward like a missile. It was as close to flying as he could get, and he overtook Todoroki and Kacchan in an instant, angry red eyes locking onto sparking green.

"DEKU!" Another gust of air sent Izuku blasting up into the air, causing him to lose the trajectory of his blast but protecting him from the explosion that detonated one of the mines below him. He used the cover of the pink blast to roll onto the ground, using quick bursts of air to make him fast enough to roll out of their path as he set them off (and if Gran Torino was at home smirking as he watched the brat copy one of his moves, no one would know). He scrambled to his feet, the familiar chill of Todoroki's quirk letting him know that he only had seconds to act. He slammed his foot into the ground, using his bending to set all of the mines around the three of them off at once. The blasts sent him propelling forward, yelps leaving his lip as his body scraped along the pavement of the tunnel. His legs and exposed arms were burning, and he knew he was bleeding but he ignored it, racing forward as he caught ash blonde hair out the corner of his eye. He didn't have time to form an air scooter, it would cost him a second too long, Kacchan was too close already, and from the sudden wave of ice that Izuku narrowly dodged, Todoroki wasn't too far either. Izuku ran as hard as he could, ignoring the searing heat at his back that was warring with the freezing cold, ignoring the stinging of his legs and arms, focusing entirely on the light at the end of the tunnel. He burst through it not a moment too soon, crossing the threshold only a second before Kacchan, the sound of the cheering crowd reaching his ears as his sweaty face was displayed on the jumbo screens for the crowd to see. His face flushed as he hesitantly waved towards the crowd, moving away from the entrance as other students began trickling in.

"You did good Kacchan, I was struggling to keep away from you at the end."

"Tch." The red-eyed boy glared at him, shoving his hands in his pocket, a dark smirk crossing his face. "Whatever nerd, I'll kick your ass next round. And either go to Recovery Girl or heal the damn scrapes yourself, you're bleeding everywhere!" Izuku looked down, yelping as he looked at his legs and arms. They hadn't seen that bad at the moment, but Izuku had a bad case of road rash. He bent the water from his still soaking clothes, the water wrapping around his hand like gloves. He hummed quietly to himself, not noticing the students around him watching as he healed himself just enough to get the bleeding to stop and to take the pain away. He didn't want to exhaust himself, especially considering how tired he already was from using the 3 elements during the obstacle race. He would have to stop by and see Recovery Girl anyway for one of her energy gummies.

"Deku-kun!"

"Midori!" Two girls slammed into him at the same time, both of them pulling back and giving him bright grins.

"Uraraka-chan, Mina-chan. You both did really good!" Mina gave him a thumbs up, giving him a look that he knew meant she would talk to him later. She slid away from him and he watched as she pounced on Kacchan, the boy immediately pushing her off of him and turning to yell at her as she laughed at him.

"Thanks, Deku-kun, not as good as you though! You were really crazy, jumping off the waterfall like that. What if there hadn't been water at the bottom?" Izuku winced as the image of himself being flattened to a pancake appeared in his mind. He felt slightly nauseous at the thought as he let out an embarrassed laugh, scratching the back of his head.

"I h-hadn't thought a-about that?"

"HAH?!" Uraraka laughed at her weird friend, placing her hands behind her back as she gave him a grin. "Oh Deku-kun, you're so smart but so stupid. Come on, let's go meet up with Iida-kun!" She grabbed his arm, pulling him over to their engine user friend. As Izuku glanced around, he realized that out of the 42 students currently milling around, all of class 1-A made it, with Mineta coming in 42nd place. A flash of pride crossed his face, _his classmates were so cool_ , and then he was dragged into a conversation with Iida and Uraraka about what they thought the next event was going to be. They quieted down as Midnight took the stage, the R rated heroine snapping her whip in order to gain attention as she announced the second competition of the festival, a cavalry battle. They would have to team up and have a rider and a horse, which meant a minimum of two people in a team and a maximum of four. The rider wasn't allowed to touch the ground, which would put Izuku at a disadvantage for his earthbending but he would be at a disadvantage either way because in one position he wouldn't be able to move his arms, and in the other, he wouldn't be able to move his feet. He mumbled soundlessly to himself, only to startle and look up when he felt malevolent auras erupt all around him. He inched away from them only to flinch as Midnight's whip cut through the air. She gave him a wink and continued explaining the rules, Izuku's eyes wandering over to the point board. His heart dropped out of his chest and he swore, asking the universe why it always had to be him.

10,000,000 points.

They were all going to kill him and sacrifice his body-

"So how are we doing this, Midori?" Pink filled his vision as he came out of his self-induced panic, noticing that everyone had split up at that point to join their own teams.

"M-m-mina, you r-really w-want to join?" She smiled at him brightly and nodded once.

"Yup! Eiji and I thought it wouldn't be fair for us both to join Bakugou and leave you alone, so Eiji is with Prince Explody and I'm with you! Wait, Midori don't cry so much you'll get dehydrated!" Izuku grabbed her in a fierce hug, only to spring backward with a red blush tinting his cheeks as he looked away, rubbing his cheeks roughly to get the tear stains off of them. Mina laughed at him and ruffled his hair, her eyes scanning the arena. "Don't be embarrassed Midori! Anyway, who are our other teammates going to be?" Izuku's eyes took on a calculating look as he glanced around, tapping his fingers against his pants. He had wanted Uraraka and Iida, but both of them had already paired with someone else.

"Mr.10 million points, let me and my babies join your team!" An oil covered girl thrust herself into his face, her thick pink dreadlocks swaying as she did so. She had steampunk like goggles on top of her head, and she gave him a wild grin. "I'll show the world what Hatsume Mei can do!"

"Midori, you gotta let her join. She's a fellow pinkster!" Mina was fluttering around the girl's body, looking at her hair closely without touching it. Hatsume gave her a grin before whipping towards her, eagerly talking about what babies would fit her best. Izuku watched the interaction for a moment before nodding, his thumb and index finger coming up to cup his chin.

"Alright, Hatsume you'll have to tell us what you can do. I'm going to go grab our final person and then we'll be set." The two girls didn't pay him any attention as he strode across the field, walking to the person who was standing by himself. Coming to a stop beside him, he gave the boy a small grin.

"Hey Tokoyami, hey Dark Shadow. Will you join my team?"

* * *

There was something majestic to the way the cavalry battle came to an end. Izuku and his team had managed to say in the air for the majority of the event due to both his air bending and the jetpack that Hatsume had. Izuku had bent more air than he had been used to, moving his arms in a constant motion to keep his team aloft. Multiple times Present Mic had commented on it, once even calling the tactic cowardly but Aizawa-sensei had quickly corrected that by telling the loud-mouthed man that what they were doing was strategic. Which Izuku wholeheartedly thought it was. They wouldn't have lasted on the ground long, especially with most teams gunning for the 10 million points on his head, though he should have expected what would finally send his team plummeting to the ground.

"DEKU!" Izuku jerked his head back on instinct, his eyes widening with fright as Katsuki was suddenly above him. He wouldn't have time to react, to busy keeping his team in the air. If he stopped bending now they would go plummeting, and he wasn't sure that he trusted himself enough to be able to catch them, but Kacchan made that decision for them by blowing up Hatsume's jetpack, adding that much more strain to Izuku. Katsuki's red eyes narrowed in determination, blasting himself back to his team as Dark Shadow struck out, aiming to land a hit on the explosion user, only to find its attacks dodged.

"10 million, let us drop! I have another baby to stop our fall!" Izuku looked at the goggled cover face and nodded, his arms coming to an abrupt halt as he allowed the air he was bending around them to scatter. A loud shriek from Mina echoed in his ears and he aimed his palms towards the ground, preparing to let out another gust of air only for a giant net-no not net, parachute, to explode out of the jetpack and float them down to safety. "I always have a backup plan! Never know when a baby is going to go haywire!"

"Hatsume, you're crazy." Mina was breathless as she spoke, twisting around to grin at the other pink haired girl. Hatsume gave her a crooked smirk and a thumbs-up as Mina turned back around toward the front. Izuku's eyes scanned around the area, noting the people who were closest to them, only for his vision to abruptly be obscured by a wave of ice erupting between his team and the rest of the competition.

" **WHAT'S THIS? TODOROKI CORNERS MIDORIYA! WITH 2 MINUTES LEFT ON THE CLOCK, WILL TEAM MIDORIYA BE FROZEN OUT OF THE COMPETITION?"** Present Mic's voice boomed over the intercoms, the audience leaning in out of anticipation. Izuku made eye contact with each of his team members, and then met Todoroki's eyes. The two had a silent battle before the air between them turned frigid and more ice exploded towards them. Team Midoriya moved immediately, acid pooling from Mina's feet as she skated to the side, tilting the team towards the left. Hatsume pulled out a tiny ball and squeezed it once before tossing it at Todoroki's team, Yaoyorozu immediately creating a shield to cover them with. The ball exploded, sending smoke up into the air which Izuku immediately bent in order to give them a more effective smokescreen. He glared at the ice, wishing that he could use his legs as that was the best way for him to waterbend, but he would give it his all anyway. Dark Shadow struck forward, slamming into a piece of ice hard enough to crack it, Izuku immediately focusing on it and yanking it towards him, turning it to water as he did so. Their plan was working smoothly, a little too smoothly.

* * *

" _I think we need a plan for if we go against Kacchan or Todoroki, they're both definitely going to confront us at some point. Hatsume, what type of um, b-babies do you have on you?"_

" _All sorts of babies, Mr. 10 million, but we can only bring two types during this portion of the festival, which sucks! But I have my jetpack baby and my tiny ball baby!"_

" _Tiny ball?"_

" _It's a smokescreen! I got it from watching one of those old Ninja movies, you squeeze it and toss it and smoke comes out! I'm making an explosive tiny ball baby but Power Loader-sensei said that if I used it in the festival he'd take away my shop privileges which would mean no more babies! But on the bright side, I have like 10 of them because he only said two types not two items"_

" _What a mad banquet of darkness this is. You're an interesting one aren't you?"_

" _And so are you, bird boy! Ooo the babies I could make for you-"_

" _Well Midori, you already know what Tokoyami and I can do, so what's the plan?"_

" _For Kacchan we'd have to get his hands wet, but I've used that on him before so it isn't going to work again, so we need to avoid him at all costs. For Todoroki's team, we need to be wary of Kaminari-kun. Yaoyorozu will probably create some kind of insulation blanket and so Kaminari-kun will probably try to electrocute everyone, but he'll short out if he uses too much. I don't know what Iida-kun has learned in these past two weeks, but he's fast so we have to avoid that...and we need to stay to Todoroki's left. It's an open side for him so we'll be safe from his quirk on that side. Hatsume-san, this is where you'll come in._

* * *

Using the smokescreen was a tricky thing as it both concealed his teams' vision and Todoroki's team, but Izuku would have to trust in his teammates. He wrapped the water around his left arm, using a modified version of the octopus attack, sending his arm forward at the same time that Tokoyami called for Dark Shadow and sent him forth. They were nearly there, they would make it-

"Recipro burst!" A jet of blue flames cut through the smoke and Izuku felt something grab his head roughly, yanking him back hard enough to jerk his neck. HE let out a hiss of pain, eyes watering as the smoke cleared, Todoroki's team standing behind them.

Holding the 10 million point headband. Izuku watched in horror as his team dropped down to 325 points, falling out of the top 4 rankings needed to move on. An icy cold feeling snuck in his chest as his hair shadowed his eyes. He had failed his team, and now they would all be disqualified, they only had 55 seconds left-

"What's the plan, Midori?" Mina's voice broke him out of his thoughts, his confused eyes glancing down at the acid user as she stared forward, the corrosive liquid pooling between her feet. "Don't count us out yet, just tell us what to do and we'll do it!" Glancing at his 3 teammates, Izuku felt his eyes water as he set his lips in a determined line. They had one shot at this.

"Dark Shadow, you and I will go for the headbands. It doesn't matter what ones we grab, we just need enough to get into the finals. Mina, keep us to Todoroki's left, Hatsume, throw your other tiny ball baby at Yaoyorozu so that she can't see what we're doing to keep her from creating something. Kaminari-kun doesn't have much juice left in him, we need to go!"

"Yessir!" His teammates echoed back to him. He put his non-water covered arm behind him and let out a large burst of air, sending them sliding forward using Mina's acid. Izuku didn't know why Iida wasn't moving, but maybe the attack had stalled his engine. He remembered Iida telling him once that if he put all his speed into one burst attack, his engines froze up for a little while. It was a bad thing to use against his friend, but Izuku needed to make it to the finals. He had to make sure his teammates had the chance to show themselves to the world, and he needed to make sure he had the chance to make All Might proud.

"Hatsume!" He yelled, eyes narrowing as he leaned forward, abruptly cutting off the flow of air around him.

"Got it!" The support course student moved without hesitation, removing another one of her tiny ball babies, squeezing it, and throwing it directly towards Yaoyorozu. It exploded, sending another plume of smoke into the air directly in front of the heiress that had her coughing as she struggled not to inhale it. Izuku would apologize to her later, his lips thinning as he heard the timer countdown, followed by an explosion from above just as Izuku sent out his water whip.

"DEKU!" A well-placed explosion had Izuku's water whip evaporating as Katsuki dove at him from the air, making Deku swear before green crackling over Izuku's body as he moved, throwing himself out of his teammates grasp and propelling himself with the air toward Todoroki, eyes alight with primal fury. The boy's two-toned eyes widened, a wisp of flame flickering over his left arm-

" **TIME!"**

Izuku hit the ground, tears immediately pooling in his eyes as he could hear Katsuki landing and cursing beside him. He pushed himself to his feet, turning towards his teammates only to be met by a soft smile from Mina and a thumbs up from Dark Shadow, a white headband in the bird's grasp.

"In first place we have…" Midnight's voice boomed from the stadium, the woman dragging on a dramatic silence as the board rearranged itself. "TEAM MIDORIYA!" The crowd went crazy, but Izuku tuned them all out as he stared at his teammates, unconsciously bringing his fists up to rub at his still teary eyes. He trudged forward silently, wrapping his arms around Dark Shadow and patting the creature's head, not noticing the look of surprise that both Dark Shadow and Tokoyami gave him.

"Dark Shadow, I will buy you anything you want to eat. Wait, do you eat? That was so insensitive of me! But still, do you? If you do that would be-" Izuku lost his train of thought, going on another mumble spree that only stopped when Mina tugged on a piece of his hair.

"We did it Midori! Group hug!" She dragged all of them into a hug, squeezing them as tight as her arms were allowed before releasing them. "Also, Hatsume! You need to come get ramen with us sometime, that goes for you too, Tokoyami!" She put her hands on her hip and then gave them a peace sign, grabbing Midoriya by the arm. "Come on Midori, let's go tease Bakugou and see if he'll explode."

"M-m-mina! I don't think that's a g-good idea!" Izuku tried to protest as the girl dragged him away anyway, only to be stopped by Todoroki blocking their path, his eyes only on the green-haired boy in front of him.

"Midoriya. We need to talk. Privately."


	16. Sports Festival Pt 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, here's the latest chapter. I hope to have the next chapter out by the end of the week (either Friday or Saturday) since school work is still pretty light. Anyway hope you all enjoy!

_Aiko didn't remember his parents. Well, he should say he didn't remember his parents that well. He remembered a soft hand carding through his hair when he was a small child, flashes of a woman with snow-white hair, flashes of a man with hair the color of coal. He remembered a softly sung lullaby, but that was it. Every time he tried to think back on it, think further, he could only see his elder brother as the one carding his hand in his hair as he did on numerous occasions when Aiko was too ill to leave the bed, his mind in a haze of fever-induced dreams, dreams of slaughter, burning villages, screaming children, burning yet freezing blue eyes. Every time he tried to listen to the lullaby he only heard his brother's smooth baritone singing him to sleep, the teenager always taking great care to look after the greatest thing entrusted to him. They were inseparable when Aiko was a child, and yet here they were now._

" _Would you kill him?" The question bounced around his head, needling itself into his brain. He couldn't answer it, instead turning away. The question wouldn't leave him. "Would you kill him? Would you kill your brother if you had to?" He knew the answer she wanted to hear, knew the answer that the people that had trusted him, that had provided him refuge wanted to hear, hell he knew what he himself wanted to hear._

_But how could he answer that? How could he condemn the one that loved him so tenderly in their early years, how could he condemn the one that he had when the rest of the world turned their back on them? How could he condemn his own blood, his only connection to the people that bore him? The one that had taken that role as if it was his very own responsibility, teaching Aiko to read and write, teaching him to be cautious, protecting him from the harsh world? He didn't think he would ever have an answer to that question._

_But then again, how couldn't he? His brother as he was now wasn't the brother that he had been then. How could he not condemn the one that had slaughtered thousands simply because he couldn't have what they did? How could he not condemn the one that searched for those with quirks out eagerly and swiped them away like a thief in the night, eager to expand his own collection? This was the very same man who forced a quirk upon Aiko, had looked down at him as he shook and screamed as it forced its way into his being. The very same who had given him that frigid smile before he left Aiko in a mess of his own sick, body still shaking in agony. How couldn't he? Why couldn't he?_

_Internally he knew the answer. They all knew the answer, even after his brother-no, his brother was dead and all that was left in his place was a tyrant, a nightmare from a children's book- even after Aiko found her on the ground- beautiful, fiery, dangerous, untouchable her laying on the ground with broken round frames dropped carelessly on the ground next to her instead of shoved onto the top of her head like they normally were; even after he found her on the ground, propped up against that boulder, saw the curly hair that he had run his fingers through so many times plastered to her face with her sweat and her blood, saw those normally freezing and piercing eyes glazed over with something that he didn't want to describe. Even after he felt those pale fingers touching his cheek, even after he felt the same heartbeat that he listened to night after night stutter and halt, even as he closed his eyes and threw his head back as he wailed his sorrows to the heavens after Raava disappeared-_ _**he knew** _ _._

_They all knew, and they hated him for it, and he hated himself for it-and as he lay there on the ground, crimson seeping out of his chest, the cold seeping in, matted black and white hair tinged pink, a crying Eizo holding his bloody hand, a flash of brilliant gold, experiencing a lack of breath, a searing cold, and then pitch blackness where he was the only light, and he would remain alone until he was passed on once more-_

_He wished that his answer would have been different._

* * *

Izuku's lips were pressed into a firm thin line as he walked down the hallway that would lead him to the entrance for his battle. He had been in a foul mood ever since he came back from his talk with Todoroki, not even talking to his friends during lunch or while they announced the brackets for the one on one tournament that was about to take place. He couldn't believe-

No. He could believe, and that was exactly why he was so angry right now.

" _Tell me, have you ever heard of quirk marriages?" Todoroki's face was blank as he spoke, but Izuku watched his eyes. Sena had once taught him that you could read an entire person's next actions from their eyes, read their true feelings, and right now Izuku was using that to read Todoroki's, and the boy's eyes were tired, weary. He didn't know what was going on to make the icy hot user feel this way._

" _Yeah, I have but why-" It suddenly slammed into Izuku all at once, and he couldn't keep the shocked and disgusted look that flitted across his face all at once. Suddenly it made a lot of sense. Too much sense. Todoroki's dual hair, different colored eyes, dual quirk. That wasn't something that a person normally came across, for all intents and purposes, Todoroki was considered unique in their world. Normally the parents' quirks would mutate and mix, which was how Kacchan got his explosions, and if Izuku had developed a quirk he probably would have had pyrokinesis, a mixture of his mother and father's quirks. For a child to have two quirks, perfectly balanced like Todoroki did-_

" _Yeah, I'm the product of one." And then to make matters even worse, Todoroki continued to tell Izuku just exactly how much of a terrible man the number 2 hero really was. Izuku's heart ached for Todoroki, and he didn't know what to say to make the boy feel better so he simply didn't say anything. "Sorry for dumping that all on you, that's all I wanted to say. My apologies for wasting your time." He turned around to walk away, only to stop abruptly as Izuku lunged forward and grabbed the boy's right wrist, spinning him back around so that they were facing each other._

" _Put your best foot forward Todoroki-kun." He released the captive wrist and took a step back, watching as the boy gave him a confused look before turning around and vanishing again. In that brief moment when he stared into the grey and cerulean orbs, he saw pain. Which made him even all the more determined to save him._

Inhaling once, he brought his hands together and cracked his knuckles, idly releasing some tension as he waited for his name to be called. It was only his luck that he would be the first fight in the tournament, and if he remembered correctly he was due to face Shinsou Hitoshi, a general course student. He didn't know what the boy's quirk was, Ojiro had tried to corner Izuku but he had swiftly avoided him, not feeling up to the task of talking while resolving to apologize to him later for it. He knew it was useless to be as upset as he was, but Izuku couldn't help it. He hated feeling like he couldn't do anything like he was useless. _But we can do something. Just make it past this opponent, and you'll face him in the next round. You'll be able to help him._ He nodded in agreement with his analytical side, forcing himself to take another deep breath as the thought considerably cheered him up. He would help Todoroki, even if it meant he had to help himself.

" **LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, THE MOMENT WE'VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR! THE POST SECOND EVENT GAMES HAVE COME TO A CLOSE, AND NOW WE HAVE THE FIRST FIGHT IN OUR ONE ON ONE TOURNAMENT! LET ME HEAR YOU MAKE SOME NOISE!"** Izuku closed his eyes as Present Mic spoke, searching for his center and finding it. He had to end this and he had to end it quickly, especially when the user's quirk was unknown. He couldn't lose. He _wouldn't_ lose. " **FROM THE GENERAL EDUCATION COURSE, A STUDENT WHO SEEMINGLY HASN'T SHOWN HIS QUIRK YET, SHINSOU HITOSHI! AND FROM THE HERO COURSE, FROM THE INFAMOUS CLASS 1-A, THE** _ **WIND**_ **BLOWING MIDORIYA IZUKU"** Izuku cringed as Present Mic pronounced wind like mind, focusing on his next task as he began walking out of the tunnel. He squinted as he exited the tunnel, the light blinding him as he was exposed to the roaring of the crowd. A nervous smile crossed his face as his vision came back to him and he scanned the crowd until he made his way up the steps and onto the platform that would hold the battle. He turned towards his opponent with a smile on his face, only for the smile to immediately drop and die as the familiar purple hair came into view. _Students who couldn't even protect themselves_. It had taken him a few sessions with Hounddog to get the thought that he could have done more to protect himself and the others out of his head, and this was even after the talk with All Might. From the narrowing of the purple eyes, the boy recognized him as well.  
"I want a nice clean fight boys!" Midnight gave them both a hooded look before slashing her whip through the air. "Start!" Izuku didn't move from his spot despite his earlier plan to end it immediately. Something came over him, something that wanted to see what the general education student could do.

"Well, if it isn't the man of the hour. It must be nice to have such a powerful quirk!" Shinsou had his hands tucked into his pockets, standing in place. He had a bored expression on his face as he spoke. "Maybe if you would've teamed up with Monkey boy he wouldn't have dropped out of the competition, it's a shame that all you hero students are turning out to be the same, selfish, and only align themselves with the best. None of you know what it's like to be looked down upon. None of you know what it's like to be powerless!"

_Izuku sat in the rain, watching the other kids run around and laugh as they played with each other while they all waited for their parents. It was a class-wide game of tag, only Izuku wasn't invited to play. He could hear the teachers whispering about poor quirkless Izuku. Poor. Quirkless. Izuku._

" _Izuku!" His mother's voice called and he hurriedly got up, running over to her only to slip and fall into the mud. His eyes swam with tears as the other kids immediately burst out laughing, mocking how the quirkless loser couldn't even walk. "Oh, Izuku sweetie." His mom was there, pulling him gently up out of the mud, attracting one of his pencils that fell out of his bag to her hand. He always had to be helped, the 6-year-old was never strong enough to do anything on his own. Maybe he really was useless like everyone else said-_

"Shut. Up." The words spilled out of Izuku's lips, dark and threatening as his hair shadowed his eyes. He took an angry step forward only to freeze as the purple-haired student smirked at him, a grey fog slipping over Izuku's mind.

"I win. Be a good hero student and turn around. Walk out of bounds." Dull green eyes locked on the tunnel that he had come out of earlier, his red shoe covered feet betraying him as they took stuttering steps forward. Faintly, he could hear the crowd gain a hushed silence as Present Mic's voice boomed.

" **WHAT'S THIS? MIDORIYA SEEMS TO BE WALKING TOWARD THE BOUNDARY LINE!"**

" _It must be Shinsou's quirk. From what I can tell, it must be one that allows the user to enforce his will over his opponents. It would be a very useful quirk in heroics, and is a prime example of why I say the entrance exam is abysmal in assessing true talent."_ There was Aizawa-sensei's voice now, but it sounded muted, probably due to the fog.

 _Stop moving body! I can't-I can't go out like this!_ He was so close to the boundary now, only about 6 steps away.

5 steps. _What could he do, how could he break it-_

4 steps. _He couldn't disappoint his mom, he couldn't break his promise to Yagi-_

" _What have I told you about giving up?" There was a figure walking through the thick grey fog that blanketed his mind, a figure that shined brightly. The fog shrieked and twisted, fleeing from the path that the figure walked, the glow dimming the closer it got until Izuku could make out a black t-shirt and the first word that was on it 'Water'. Slowly more of the figure appeared to him-a woman, frigid blue eyes staring into his blank green ones. "You can't just give up when things get hard kid, but now isn't the time for a lecture huh?" A familiar small smile crossed her face as she turned and began to walk away from him, the fog dissipating completely. He tried to open his mouth, but no words came out. He tried to reach his hand out, but his body wouldn't move besides his feet, still shuffling towards the boundary line._

3 steps. _The curly-haired woman came to a stop at the edge of the tunnel, and when she stopped so did Izuku's body in the real world. She spun around so she was facing him again, her body gaining a blue glow as a white-haired man with black streaks appeared next to her, his body flickering in and out of existent before solidifying and being covered in a black glow. His appearance was followed by the appearance of 7 other shadowy figures, none of them able to form like the first two, but Izuku instinctively knew who they were. The man looked awfully familiar to Izuku, but the heroics student couldn't exactly place where he had seen him before._

" _Izuku." The woman surrounded by the blue glow spoke, giving him a thumbs up. "I'm proud of you kid. You're getting closer and closer to your goals." How was she here? How was Izuku seeing them all?_

" **MIDORIYA HAS COMPLETELY FROZEN AND ISN'T MOVING, WHAT'S THIS? WHAT'S GOING ON!"**

_If Izuku wasn't mistaken, a disgruntled look came over the woman's face as Present Mic spoke. "That man is too loud, and that's coming from me. But onto the matter at hand-you called us here kid. Now, go kick some ass. You'll see us all again." Her eyes took on a white glow as the shadowy figures dove toward Izuku, swarming around him. Through the tiny gaps of light that Izuku could see the man hanging back, watching him silently as his form flickered once more and he too became a shadowy figure, joining the others in their flight around him. "Oi, let me handle this one. The kid doesn't need any broken bones." How could she talk to them?_

_A blue-tinted hand came to rest on his shoulder._

**xxxXXXxxx**

To the outside observers, the change happened instantly. One minute Izuku was frozen, barely away from the boundary line, the next minute the boy had red veins dancing across his body and his eyes took on a white glow. A giant wind left his hands, whirling around his body like a tornado that hid him from sight. When it died down, he was facing Shinsou again, white glow gone, red veins transformed into green sparks of electricity.

"What the hell, walk out of bounds already!" Izuku's green eye's sparked as he gritted his teeth before moving, spinning his arms around in a circle before he thrust a palm forward, a gust of air blasting forward and smashing Shinsou out of bounds.

"Shinsou is out of bounds! Midoriya wins!" The crowd cheered hesitantly, Present Mic commenting on how the fight was lackluster, but Izuku ignored them all as he made his way off the platform, stopping on the edge as he watched the purple haired student pick himself up off the ground.

"What do you want, come to gloat?"

"I wanted to tell you that your quirk is really cool," Izuku said mildly, glancing up at a row of students directly in front of him. "It was a bad match up, I think you would have won against a lot of other people. I don't know what people have told you, but your quirk isn't bad or anything. In fact, it would actually be really good for hero work. But you can't just blame your misfortunes on everyone else. We earned our places in the hero course, flashy quirks or not. Earn your place too." He didn't even realize he had been moving as he came to a stop in front of the general course student, holding his hand out. It took a moment, but a pale hand eventually wrapped itself around his crooked and scarred one. "Besides, you already have people that believe in you. Just learn to believe in yourself." He gave the boy a bright smile and turned on his heel, beginning to walk away as Shinsou looked up to see his classmates cheering for him.

"You did really good Shinsou!"

"Yeah you almost had him!" Izuku was halfway across the stage when a sudden shout of his name had him stopping and turning around once more, head tilted to the side in question.

"Midoriya! I'm sorry, about before and what I said earlier." _A student who couldn't even protect himself_. The words echoed between the two of them as Izuku's smile softened.

"I'll forgive you on two conditions. One, you don't ever say something like that to someone ever again. Two, you have to come get ramen with my friends and I."

* * *

The rest of the fights in the first round of the tournament went by quickly and the 16 condensed to 8. Todoroki's fight had been immediately after Izuku's and he had faced a girl with a vine quirk from class 1-B. Izuku along with everyone else had winced after he encased her in entirely too much ice, Izuku's simmering rage from earlier growing just a bit more fierce after he noticed the dead look in Todoroki's eyes as the boy thawed the shivering girl out of the ice. _Next round_. His mind promised him, causing him to inhale and exhale harshly before paying attention to the next matches. Mina had faced off with Sero who had been paired up with Uraraka and two people from class 1-B during the cavalry battle. She had been able to beat him by nimbly dodging all the attacks from his tape by doing backflips and cartwheels (something Izuku wanted to learn instantly upon seeing it), as well as skating around on her acid until she was able to get close and deck him in the chin. Iida had faced off against Aoyama, easily pushing the boy out of the arena after the shining french kid had hunched over, whispering ' _J'ai mal_ _à_ _l'estomac'._ Kaminari had faced off against Hatsume, surprisingly losing after his electricity had messed with the girl's babies that she had gotten him to wear, causing her to go berserk and use some sort of...punching glove on him? Izuku wasn't too sure what it was, or where the girl had gotten it from but it looked like it really hurt. Tokoyami went against Yaoyorozu, Dark Shadow proving to be too quick for the girl, pushing her out before she could create her first item. _If she could work on improving her creation time, she would be a deadly opponent in the future_ , Izuku thought. Kirishima fought against the boy who also had a hardening quirk, only his was based off of metal, and the match ended in a draw after they both passed out at the same time from exhaustion. Mina, who now sat next to Izuku had made a comment about 'Eiji finally finding his long lost twin', snickering as she did so. All of the matches of the day had been good, but it was the last fight that really stole the audience's breath away along with Izuku's.

Bakugou vs Uraraka. The match had been explosive, both on the part of the participants and on the part of the audience. When the audience yelled and screamed at Kacchan for toying around with a girl, Izuku winced as he leaned forward, his hands clasping themselves against the railing. They couldn't see what he did, and he was honestly surprised that they didn't notice the hundreds of rocks hovering above the stadium. Uraraka's plan was honestly amazing, something that he hadn't even fully thought of. He had been tempted to give Uraraka some pointers on how to beat Katsuki, but that wouldn't have been right. It would have come across as him doubting her potential, and he definitely didn't want to come across like that. But still, if he was her he would have focused entirely on getting close enough to touch him, he never would have thought to use the rocks as a distraction to do so. As they streamed towards the fighting duo, hurtling with speeds that would be difficult for any normal person to counter, Izuku thought, just for a moment, that his pink cheeked friend had won. If it was anyone else, she would have.

But then again, this was Katsuki that she was facing. The explosion that had ripped itself from Kacchan's hand was the biggest explosion that Izuku had ever seen the boy manually produce himself, and it probably even rivaled the explosion that had come from the explosive boy's gauntlet. It tore the rubble to pieces, reduced it to ashes, and the concussive force behind it sent Uraraka flying backwards. Izuku held his breath as his friend rose to her feet, took a single step forward, and fell leading to Kacchan's victory.

And thus concluded the first round of the one on one matches.

* * *

Mina was worried. She had watched the same fight as everyone else, and while she had been cheering for her explosive friend, the gravity user put up a good fight and nearly won, only to have that victory snatched away at the last moment. Mina knew what it was like to think that you finally did it, that you won and it was over, only to have that win upstaged at the last possible second. As someone who used to attend dance competitions when she was younger, it happened to her more than she liked to think, and she knew the feeling that came after well. The disappointment, the self loathing-she knew it all too well which led to her current situation, strolling down the hall towards the preparation rooms. Izuku had been ready to go after Uraraka himself, but he would be the first match after the break and after Eiji's tie breaker, and so she told him that she would handle it while he prepared himself. After a brief stare down he had acquiesced, and Mina understood why it took him so long. Though Mina liked Uraraka, they weren't necessarily close. Most of the time they only spoke because Izuku spoke to both of them which would lead to them sitting at the same lunch table at times, and sometimes even walking to the train after school together. She could see how it would be odd for her to volunteer to go comfort her, but she knew what she would probably find behind those closed doors, and she knew that Uraraka probably wouldn't want their green-haired friend to witness it.

"Love you guys." A choked voice sounded behind the closed blue door that Mina stood in front of. She raised one pink hand and knocked, not waiting for a response as she slid the door open, and then slid it shut behind her. As she stood face to face with the brown-haired girl, she thought of a million things that she could say to make the girl feel better.

"You totally almost kicked his ass. You did really well Uraraka!" The words that left her lips, followed by a punch to the air, weren't included in that list at all. But as Mina spread her arms after the fact, enveloping the wet-eyed girl in a hug, scratched up and bandaged arms wrapped around her back as her classmate shook with silent sobs. It hadn't been what Mina had meant to say.

But somehow, Ochako let her know that it was enough.

* * *

Todoroki Enji was a fiery man in all aspects of his life. His temper was like a dry leaf that led to a forest fire, once sparked it blazed into an inferno. His passion for his profession was a whirlwind of flame, only growing hotter and brighter the longer he continued on his trek of chasing after what seemed unattainable, growing hotter and raging wilder as he was continuously shown the too far ahead back of the number 1 hero. As a father, he was the epitome of the brightest flame, too bright to look at, a blistering heat that burned even if you weren't anywhere near it. He was the living embodiment of flame whose will would not bend to anyone's, the one that forced everyone else into submission lest they got burned. But there was always one person that refused to let the heat of his flame consume him, and now as he stared down at dark green eyes that seemed to swirl with rage, he knew that there would be two.

"You are the one with the elemental quirk no? Just like my Shouto, though it seems you can wield Earth, Air, and Water instead of Ice and Fire. Though there is something about the way you wield your power that reminds me of All Might. My Shouto was created to surpass him, so beating you will be the first step on his road towards that. That's all I wanted to say." Endeavor watched and waited for the boy to cower beneath his radiance, to shy away from his heat. He was the flame that devastated forests, the inferno that blazed until even the wells were all dried up.

"I am not All Might." The boy's voice seemed to be infused with a deeper power, the air around them seemingly darkening as he spoke, shadows creeping forward and looming over the number 2 hero. He suddenly felt small, almost as if he wasn't a brilliant fire that could rival the sun, but rather the flame of a candle, one that could be easily snuffed out. "And Todoroki _**is not**_ you." The words had whipped over him with the chill of a glacier as it shifted and creaked, ice plummeting from its side, sending waves upon waves of water hurtling away from it. If he stayed here in this moment he would inevitably be smothered, either consumed by the water or snuffed out by the shadows. The feeling stayed with him up until the start of the match, long after the green-haired enigma had walked away.

* * *

" _ **LADIES AND GENTS, AFTER THAT ARM-BREAKING TIE BREAKER, ARE YOU READY FOR THE START OF THE QUARTER FINALS! IF SO LET ME GET A YEAH!"**_

" _You're too loud, be quieter."_

" _ **ERASER YOU GOTTA WAKE UP, WE HAVE A REAL SHAKER TO KICK OFF OUR FIRST ROUND OF THE QUARTER FINALS! FROM CLASS 1-A, WE HAVE THE KING OF COOL HIMSELF JOINING US, BUT BE CAREFUL HE MIGHT FREEZE YA OVER! IT'S THE ICY TODOROKI SHOUTOOOOOOO. ALSO FROM CLASS 1-A, WE HAVE NATURE'S BEST FRIEND HIMSELF, THE EARTH SHATTERING, WIND STOPPING, MIDORIYA IZUKUUUUUU!"**_

The two boys stared at each other from across the ring, one with a deadened look, the other one with a serious glare plastered across his face. Green electricity crackled and danced to life, forest green hair swaying with an invisible breeze as Midnight's arm swung up wide. The audience leaned forward with a hushed breath, silence spreading quickly across the arena. The sound of Midnight's whip cracked down, ice burst forward immediately, reaching and climbing towards the sky-

And the first match of the quarter-finals began.


	17. Sports Festival Pt 3

" _Bending is sometimes closely tied with a person's emotional state. Just like how waterbending is heightened at night and during a full moon, and firebending is heightened during the day. Firebending sometimes feeds off of negative emotions of hatred and anger, both of which can cause the fire to grow hotter, though it is possible for a person to be a deadly firebender without their roots being in those two emotions. The same thing can be said for waterbending."_

" _How's that, Sena-sensei?"_

" _Water can take many forms, kid. It can be still and placid like a pond on a day without a breeze. It can flow peacefully like a babbling brook. It can flow with anger, rushing and crashing against anything and everything like a fast flowing river. It can rage, rising high like a tsunami and wiping everything out in its path."_

" _So it's like how you told me that water can be life but can also bring destruction?"_

" _Exactly like that Izuku. For me, my waterbending was always strong, but it was its strongest whenever I was in a rage. I don't know if that will be the same for you, but the adrenaline caused by extreme emotions will definitely aid in your bending prowess in battle. But do not become dependent on it, and don't lose yourself in the heat of battle. That doesn't turn out well for anyone."_

" _Could fear affect bending? It's a negative emotion too, right?"_

" _Yeah, but it has the opposite effect to its brethren emotions. Sometimes fear will block your bending."_

" _Block my bending-ow, I'm sorry!"_

" _Damn right you are, stop interrupting! But yes, in some cases it can. Do you remember what I told you about chakras? Well, fear can cause the blockage of your Earth chakra which can throw your balance out of whack, and fear can cause a mental blockage as well. If you fear a part of your bending, then your body won't want to use it if that makes sense. In order to be in complete sync with yourself so that you can protect yourself and others, you must not fear your bending Izu. Don't ever compare yourself to me or any of the other past avatars in your progress with bending. I know you haven't, but I need you to remember this. You are not me, and you won't ever be me. I'm telling you this because this is something I struggled with myself as a fledgling avatar. Your bending may come from our shared bond, but it is just that,_ _ **yours**_ _. It is yours to wield as you see fit, don't let anyone ever tell you otherwise. And I especially mean that towards fire. I know you associate it with your father, but you aren't him and he isn't you. Don't let him hold you back Izuku. That is my wisdom to you."_

* * *

For once in his life, Izuku's mind was silent as he allowed his instincts to take over. The second that Midnight's whip came down, Izuku knew that Todoroki was going to seek to end this fight as quickly as possible. Knowing that still didn't prepare him for the sheer rush of ice that had rushed at him almost instantaneously. His initial plan had been to just bend the ice into water, but it was too much and too fast. A blast of air sent him flying up into the sky, his hair whistling past him, his body becoming obscured by the cloud of frost that radiated from the ice cloud.

Izuku reached the peak of his blast, landing on top of one of the spires of ice that rose from the ground. The glacier wasn't as big as the one that had engulfed the vine girl from class 1-B, but it was still big enough that had Izuku not moved he would have been pushed out of bounds. _Focus_. He cleared his mind once more and moved, turning part of the ice into water and condensing itself around his feet, a soft puff of breath leaving his mouth and causing his water covered feet to freeze over. He wouldn't be able to maintain it for long, though he could use his airbending to regulate the temperature in his feet in order to stop himself from getting frostbite, he wouldn't be able to keep it up for long. The sound of cracking ice echoed through the air, piercing the shocked silence and gaining the attention of the dual quirk user. A large shard of ice whistled through the air, crashing into the ground where Todoroki had been a second before, the dual quirk user barely dodging the attack. Above him, the smoke cleared, showing Izuku sliding down the mountain of ice. A snarl crossed Todoroki's face as he slammed his foot on the ground, more ice rushing forward like a frozen tsunami, sharpening and snarling as it rushed to join its brother glacier. Green electricity came to life, sparking around Izuku, his hair rising as he pushed off the glacier, another gust of air sending him high into the sky. He moved with precision, sending an OFA laced air punch down to the ice, a large boom echoing through the air as the ice split and shattered, shards of it flying in every direction. A few stray shards lanced through Izuku's arms, one scraping across Todoroki's cheek, leaving a streak of blood across his face. Izuku landed in the middle of the icy ruins, moving the moment his feet touched the ground as more ice came rushing up at him, the two of them engaging in their dance once more, Izuku jumping and spinning, gusts of air leaving his body and intercepting the ice, sending more and more piles of broken ice scattering themselves around them. The frosty air hung between them, allowing their breath to become visible as Izuku brought an arm up, wiping blood off of his cheek from where he was cut with another ice shard, matching Todoroki's earlier injury. He didn't know how long the battle had been going on, but the crowd was hanging onto it with every breath. Izuku took the lull in the battle to focus his attention on Todoroki, whom he noticed, was shivering.

"You're shivering Todoroki." The softly spoken word snapped across the air between them, heterochromatic eyes snapping up and burning Izuku with its glare. Izuku knew the signs of hypothermia well, Sena having beaten the information for different weather based injuries and illnesses into his head a long time ago. It made Izuku angry, and he found that he had been irritated this entire match, knowing that Todoroki had the ability to prevent himself from getting frostbite or worse, but was refusing to use it. "Why don't you use your flames to warm yourself up?"

"Shut up." The dark snarl clawed itself out of Todoroki's throat, eyes darkening as he let out another attack of ice. Instead of moving away from this one, Izuku took it head-on. His left leg slid backward as he inhaled, red veins springing to life along his right arm as he took a sudden step forward, slamming his glowing fist against the ice as he did so. The ice split down the middle, Izuku's glowing aura turning brighter as he moved, weaving his body in an intricate dance, swaying and moving and ducking and kicking to a beat of his own, the thousands of ice shards around them rising as Izuku's anger spiked. The shards spun, looking like a chandelier as the sunlight reflected off of it. The crowd watched with awe as the ice coalesced together, rushing towards Izuku as he turned them from ice to water, not stopping until nearly every broken shard was wrapped around him, 8 tendrils of water whipping around him, almost in the form of an octopus minus the head. Izuku's dance came to a halt as he stood with his left arm raised towards the sky, his right one angled down with both of his legs pressed together, his tendrils writhing and moving though its controller stood still. A scowl crossed Izuku's face as he looked directly at Todoroki, his curly green hair obscuring one of his eyes, leaving the only one visible to him burning with green fire.

"What the hell are you doing!"

* * *

"Who do you think is going to win?" Uraraka pulled her eyes from the tense situation down below her, instead turning her head to the pink-haired girl who had just spoken beside her. After Mina had comforted her, she insisted on the gravity user sitting with her so that they could both cheer for Deku. She immediately wanted to say that Deku would win, but honestly, she didn't know. Both boys were injured in some way, Midoriya covered in shallow cuts, Todoroki covered in them as well and it seemed like he was starting to get the beginning stages of frostbite. Both boys were fierce opponents, and only time would tell who would win.

"I don't really know, but I want to say Deku! He can do anything that he puts his mind to!"

"Tch." Brown eyes snapped over to the source of the noise, landing on ash-blonde hair. She frowned as Mina leaned forward so that she could make eye contact with the explosion user.

"What was that sound for Bakugou? Have something to share with the class?" Mina's voice was light and teasing but Uraraka could tell that there was an underlying hint of curiosity in her tone. Deku and Bakugou's relationship was tumultuous from what the brown eyed girl could tell. Sometimes they seemed like friends, Deku babbling Katsuki's ears off while the boy answered with grunts or short worded answers, sometimes even snapping at the green haired boy which would in turn cause Deku to give him a thousand-watt smile. Other times it seemed like Katsuki couldn't stand to be in the boy's presence, giving him poisonous glares and ignoring him completely altogether. She had asked Deku about it once, and the boy had shrugged as he munched on his katsudon at lunch that day.

" _It's just Kacchan being Kacchan. He's been like this since we were kids." Uraraka observed him quietly, fiddling with her chopsticks as she threw a glance to the table directly opposite from them, watching Bakugou yell at Kirishima as the red haired boy used a noodle as a mustache._

" _That doesn't seem very...friend like Deku-kun. Are you two really friends?" The moment she spoke she wished she could take the words back as a sort of cloud suddenly shadowed itself over her nerdy friend, his chopsticks stilling for a moment around a piece of his pork before he raised it to his mouth, taking a giant bite. They were both quiet as he chewed, Uraraka turning her own attention away from her actual lunch and towards the mochi that she had picked up as a snack, poking the treat once morosely before picking it up and taking a bite out of it._

" _I don't know sometimes. I think so? We've hung out more now that we're at U.A compared to when we were kids, but Kacchan is Kacchan you know? But, I'll always be Kacchan's friend. Even if he isn't mine." The words were defiant as if he had spoken them to someone else before, and Ochako couldn't help but turn her attention towards him fully to really take him in. She hadn't really noticed before, but he had a tired air around him. He reminded Uraraka of one of the men that had worked in her parents' construction site, an older man who had a weary air around him. Whenever the young girl would ask him if he was alright, he would smile and pat her head before telling her that he was just tired._

" _That...I don't know what to say Deku-kun. But just know that I'm your friend through and through!" She looked back down at her mochi and thus missed the sad and wistful look that crossed Izuku's face as he spoke in that weary tone that was so familiar to her as if he was an old man looking out at the world._

" _Thanks, Uraraka-chan."_

"The damn nerd is going to win." Those words shocked Uraraka out of her thoughts and she looked at the ruby-eyed boy in bewilderment. She had never expected those words to leave his mouth, but yet here they were and at the end of the day, Bakugou Katsuki was the one who knew Izuku the best out of all of them. If he said that Deku was going to win, then he probably had a pretty good reason for admitting it.

"Why do you think that?" The words left her mouth without her permission, causing those angry eyes to snap to her for a moment, and she nearly flinched before remembering herself. Even though he had beaten her in the end, she had put up a damn good fight. His fiery gaze lingered on her momentarily, respect flitting through his eyes before he turned them back towards the match below them. A gasp left her lips, left all of their lips as they saw what was happening. "H-how-?" Mina's hand unconsciously wrapped itself around the railing as she leaned forward, and for a moment Uraraka was tempted to place her hand on the girl's back and activate her quirk in case she fell, but then Bakugou was speaking again as the crowd began to roar in excitement.

"The shitty fucker doesn't know how to stay down. If Icy-hot isn't going to give it his all, then that damned Deku will finish him off for sure. The nerd may seem all sweet and innocent to you, but he has a rough side to him. It's damn entertaining too." Maybe she should have been worried at the sharp-toothed smirk that crossed Bakugou's face but she couldn't bring herself to care as a shout from Kaminari had her head whipping back towards the arena grounds, her body moving until her own hands were wrapped around the railing directly next to Mina's. "See? What the hell did I tell you Round Face." Any other time the smugness in his voice would have sent Uraraka into a rage, but she didn't pay any attention to him, her breath being held hostage along with the rest of the crowds as the match before them came to an end with a bang, dust filling the air. She shielded her eyes as hot air and dust rushed up, assaulting them until finally it stopped and the smoke cleared enough for them to see one person standing.

And one person out of bounds.

* * *

" _What the hell are you doing!"_ The words snapped forward with the strength of Midnight's whip, causing Todoroki to flinch minutely as they landed. He tilted his head in confusion, the action making Izuku's simmering rage move up to a boil. He wanted to help Todoroki. He wanted to help him so badly, but he would not be disrespected. He would not let Todoroki disrespect anyone else either.

"What do you mean-"

"Do you think this is a joke, Todoroki? Is this a game to you?" Izuku cut the boy off, his voice as cold as the ice around them though his eyes shifted and sparked with flame. The tendrils of water wriggled once as if reacting to his emotions and then stilled, waiting to be ordered to move by him. Anger flashed through Todoroki's eyes as the dual quirk user spoke, anger coloring his voice as well.

"What the hell are you on about?"

"How do you expect to win like this? You're slowing down Todoroki. We both know it." Ice raced towards him immediately following that statement and Izuku moved, shifting his legs into a slightly wider stance and moving his arms like a puppet master controlling strings. The tendrils sliced through the top of the ice, leaving the bottom half as a barrier between the two. Had Izuku attempted that same method earlier, the sheer power of Todoroki's ice would have overcome his tendrils easily. It only went to prove Izuku's point that the boy was reaching his limit. "How dare you."

"How dare I-"

"Yes, how dare you! Everyone here is trying their best, and you're not giving it your best! You're not only disrespecting me as your opponent, but you're also disrespecting everyone else here! Do you think yourself so far above us that you don't need to give it your all!?" The cold voice was gone and Izuku was shouting now, knowing that he would regret it later but not being able to find it in himself now to actually care. It was something that seemed so out of character for him, but just as Sena had an influence on his bending, she also had an influence on his personality. This was a part of him that he was normally able to keep hidden, but it almost always came out when he was furious. _Just like he was now_.

"I don't need my left side-" Todoroki's voice chilled, refusing to be melted by Izuku's fiery passion, his eyes blazing with his own. "I don't need my father's quirk to win! I can face everything without it!"

"And what about when you need that fire to save someone else or yourself? Then what?"

"I won't need it, I won't need his quirk-"

" **IT ISN'T HIS QUIRK!"** The words ripped themselves from Izuku's throat, taking all of his anger with them as they echoed throughout the stadium. He suddenly felt tired, so impossibly tired and he sighed as he spoke again softer this time. "It isn't his quirk. Just like mine isn't my father's." He dropped his stance somewhat, his tendrils of water sagging down but not disappearing, and inhaled once, feeling the warmth of Agni beaming down on his back. He hadn't wanted to use this part of his bending at all, but he felt compelled to do it. A small breeze danced throughout the stadium, carrying a whisper on its lips to Izuku's ears. _Use it. It is time_. Izuku closed his eyes, tilting his head back, allowing his hair to fall backward, a burning forest flickering in his mind. _Master us. Use it-_

_Come to me._

* * *

" _Kaa-san? What's Tou-san's quirk?" Four year old Izuku came to a stop in front of his mother, his tiny body clad in an All Might onesie. Inko glanced down at her son, pausing in her chopping of the onions she was preparing for the new recipe she was going to make for dinner. She knew Izuku was excited about receiving his quirk, he was going to get it any day now hopefully and it would either be hers or his father's, maybe even a mixture._

" _Well sweetie, he calls it fire breath. He can breathe fire from his mouth."_

" _Like a dragon?" A wide smile crossed her face as she reached a hand down and ruffled her son's unruly hair._

" _Yes sweetie, like a dragon."_

* * *

" _I know that you aren't actually going to bend fire for a long time, but I still want you to know all the moves for it. It's better to be prepared now-"_

" _Then wish you were prepared in the future." He finished for his teacher, automatically cringing when her eyes snapped towards him almost as if he expected to be hit for his transgressions. Instead he received an eyeroll and a sigh as the spirit mumbled something unflattering under her breath._

" _Kid, interrupt me one more time and I'm feeding you to the face stealer." After giving Izuku another appraising look, she continued on as if she hadn't been interrupted. "It's better to be prepared now than need these moves in the future and curse your poor teacher because she didn't teach them to you. Now, you already know the basic forms of fire bending, so I want to show you one that was my firebending master's favorite."_

" _You had a fire bending mast-ouch!" Izuku shrank back as a dangerous aura erupted from Sena and a swift hand chopped him against his head. His emerald eyes watered and he rubbed his head, getting a deadpan look from his teacher._

" _You speak one more time and I'm not showing you anything! Yes I had a firebending master, moving on! This move was his favorite, and I was never able to get a handle of it but maybe you'll have better luck than me. So you inhale like this and then you-"_

* * *

Izuku reached down into his soul, down to where the roaring fire lay awaiting him. It was calmer than it was before, but it still threatened to burn him when he touched it. He would not allow it. _I can do this_. He thought, and he closed his eyes for a moment. Izuku plunged into the fire, merging with it, burning with it, searing himself with its blistering heat as they became one, his eyes flying open, a pulse of white overtaking them and then fading as his irises turned a glowing, molten green.

He roared, and his inner fire roared with him. Green fire came shooting out of his mouth, going about 15 feet into the air. He could hear shouts of excitement as well as shocks of surprise, and he could faintly hear Present Mic yelling into the intercoms but Izuku tuned them all out as he abruptly cut off his flames, tilting his head forward again and allowing his eyes to meet Todoroki's. HIs classmate looked at him with shock, something indecipherable in his eyes.

"My father's quirk is fire breath. I can breath fire in the way that he can, and I can use it in ways that he couldn't. Even if I could only breath fire it would only be a similarity because it's my quirk. Tell me, Todoroki. Do you want to be a hero? If so, you have to give it your all!" More emotions than Izuku had ever seen present on his stoic classmate ran through the two toned eyes almost like a movie. They flickered between light and dark, and as a searing heat reached Izuku, the OFA user smiled, and through the haze of smoke and flames, Todoroki smiled back.

 _I do. Thank you._ The words floated between them and Izuku gave him an even brighter smile in response.

"Let's finish this, Todoroki-kun."

"Let's." Both boys moved, Izuku's arms moving as fast as his body would allow them, green electricity crackling around his body as the tendrils of liquid rose higher and higher, intermingling with each other as they danced, Todoroki's flames growing impossibly brighter-

" _CEMENTOSS!"_ Midnight's shout echoed across the arena as she took a single step forward, moving as if to stop them. Walls of concrete rushed to rise in between them but it was too late, Izuku leaping forward, Todoroki rushing to meet him, fire meeting raging water, a pause-

A beat, the world holding its breath-

An explosion, sending dust and smoke billowing into the air, obscuring the competitors from sight.

* * *

As the dust cleared, Midnight rose from her position hidden behind a wall produced by Cementoss. She gave her colleague a wink of thanks, composing herself as she became visible to public view once more. The arena was a wreck, pieces of the cement missing, shards of ice embedded in the grass around them. _It would take forever to clean this up, she_ mused, thinking that this sexy match would have been better suited for being the final one of the round rather than the first. It would leave the other participants with a tough act to follow, but that wasn't the focus. Now she had to declare the winner. Her eyes roamed over the destruction, first noticing a boy slumped against ice outside of the arena. Though the dust was mostly cleared, the air around her was still hazy and she was unable to fully make out the figure, though she could tell they would need a session with Recovery Girl after this. Taking a few more steps forward, she let out a startled gasp as the air directly over the arena cleared, showing a boy anchored to the floor with the cement covering his feet and shins, his entire body red as if he had been steam broiled, which he essentially had. His uniform was ripped in all sorts of places and part of his eyebrow was gone, but lidded eyes looked at her and bloody cheeks quirked up into a small smile. Midnight sashayed over to him, gently grabbing his arm and hoisting it in the air.

"You did good, kid." She murmured before swinging the flag up high into the air, announcing what the audience had been waiting for.

"Todoroki Shouto is out of bounds and is thus unable to continue! The winner of this round is Midoriya Izuku!"

* * *

Up in the stands, Class 1-A roared.

Up in the stands, a skinny blonde man with skeletal features allowed a proud smile to cross his face as the medical bots rolled out onto the field to carry both contestants away.

At an apartment complex, a green hair woman wailed as she watched her T.V, clutching her blonde best friend's hand as the woman watched the event with her.

At a rundown bar, a glass disintegrated as a chap lipped man glared at the tv wishing he could disintegrate the green haired brat that had been shown on the screen instead.


	18. Sports Festival Pt 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, I hope everyone is doing well! To those who have been getting crazy weather, stay safe! This winter definitely said "Yo wassup" lol caught me slacking at least, I don't think we've had this much snow in literal years. Anyway, on with the chapter!

_Izuku awoke in a strange place, his body lying flat against the ground. Above him, the sky was a dark red, almost the color of blood. Previously tall buildings lay strewn around him in ruins, portions of their once tall stranding metal frames twisted and gnarled, rising towards the sky like twisted tree branches. Purple fire raced around him, dancing and hissing at him, seeking to scorch him, burn him, consume him-but finding itself unable to come close though its heat still sent him flinching away. He let out a soft groan as he pushed himself to his feet, soot and rubble embedding itself in his green locks. He looked down at his palms, wondering if he was in the spirit world, but found himself lacking the normal green tint that accompanied him. Green eyes widened in confusion and then he suddenly looked up, freezing as he took in the scene before him. A woman wearing a purple top with a white cape and yellow gloves stood facing him, bangs hanging in her face which was covered with scratches and a thin trail of blood. She was glaring, not at him but at something behind him, and he began to turn to see what she was looking at-_

" _You shouldn't be here." Her voice caught his attention and he turned fully back towards her, eyes stinging as a gust of wind blew smoke into them._

" _I-I'm sorry, I don't know how I got here-" She cut him off, her grey eyes landing on him and softening momentarily before she directed them behind him once more, her gaze sharpening as she spread her hands out at her sides._

" _And I don't know how to make you leave. But do you know who I am?" He looked at her again, really looked at her this time, taking in the familiar hairstyle that reminded him of his mom, taking in the white cape, the yellow gloves- and then it clicked causing him to gasp from the realization and he took a step back, his foot crunching on the gravel._

" _Nana? The 7th-" She nodded once and gave him a gentle smile, eyes still focused on the threat in front of her._

" _I see Toshi has told you about me then. I don't know how you got here kid, much less how we're talking right now but I need you to tell Toshinori something for me. Tell him that I'm proud of him and all he's done and that I'll always be with him." Izuku nodded, bits of gravel falling out of his hair with his movement, a light of determination sparking in his eyes._

" _I will, I promise!"_

" _Good. I'm proud of you too kid, you've come so far. You'll be the best of us all, remember that. And I want to apologize to you, for what you're about to experience." The air which had hung so heavy around them suddenly became charged, the hair on his arms rising. It was almost like he felt when Kaminari-kun used his quirk, like electricity was about to become evident._

" _Nana what-" But his voice died, nothing coming out as he watched the heroine square her shoulders towards the threat, a single hand coming up to rub at the blood that rested on the corner of her lips._

" _Thank you for such wonderful comedy." A deep voice came from behind him and Izuku whirled around, an unknown fear gripping his heart so tightly that it almost sent him to his knees. There was a man there, standing on something that looked green-Izuku couldn't really tell but it gave him the impression of a throne. The man up there was the executioner, and he obviously found them wanting. Arcs of red and black lightning flew from around the man, striking the air at random as he raised one solitary finger and pointed it directly at them, directly at Nana-_

_And then the world around him exploded and all Izuku knew was a blinding, burning, shrieking agony._

* * *

The rest of the matches after Izuku and Todoroki were not as explosive, but they were just as interesting (well most were). Mina and Iida had faced off directly after the elemental quirk users, and the match had been an interesting one yet quick one, with Mina winning after using Iida's speed against him. He had charged at her immediately, seeking to push her out of bounds before she could react but Mina moved, flipping out of the way and flinging acid where she had been a moment prior. The slimy consistency of it had sent Iida sliding out of bounds immediately, and Mina was declared the winner of their match up. They had both stared at each other in shock for a moment, both of them not able to believe that it had happened as quickly as it did, especially since Mina didn't fully expect it to work. Still, they shook each other's hands and Iida vowed that he would work harder.

The match right after them had been Hatsume versus Tokoyami, with Hatsume stepping onto the arena and then immediately stepping out of bounds once Midnight had started the match. "It's nothing against you, bird boy. But most of my babies are fried and the ones that aren't I already showed off!" Tokoyami and Dark Shadow stared after her, Midnight doing a sweat drop before declaring Tokoyami the victor. The boy shook his head and mumbled something about a mad banquet of darkness before he slunk off the field and allowed the last two contestants in the quarter finals to fight their match.

The battle fought between Bakugou and Kirishima was a tough one, with it being a stalemate in the beginning, Bakugou's explosions useless against Kirishima's hardening, but little by little, Kirishima was wore down until with one final explosion, he was sent crashing out of bounds. The audience went wild during this match, their need for a harder fight being satiated for the time being. After Midnight had declared Bakugou the winner, the explosive boy moved out of bounds to where Kirishima was struggling to his feet and yanked him up roughly, not saying a word as he suddenly let go and shoved his hands into pockets of his gym shorts, strolling towards the tunnel with a tired Kirishima staggering after him. Above him as he exited was a board that showcased the people competing in the battles. The red emblazoned words stretching across the top underneath UA's logo changed from _Quarter Finals_ to _Semi Finals_ , and the pictures shifted and changed until green hair was paired with pink, and a head seemingly covered in shadows was matched with one that carried spikey ash-blonde hair. Present Mic's voice boomed overhead from the loud speaker.

" _ **WE'RE GOING TO TAKE A 10 MINUTE BREAK FOLKS TO RETRIEVE ONE OF OUR NEXT COMPETITORS AND THEN THE SEMI-FINALS OF THIS YEARS SPORTS FESTIVAL WILL COMMENCE!"**_

* * *

Toshinori sat in the infirmary long after Izuku left, a frown marring his face as he sat hunched over, two locks of blonde hanging in his face. His chin sat in the palm of his hand as he stared at the ground, mulling over what his successor had told him before the boy had taken flight from the infirmary.

" _Yagi-san, I saw them during my fight with Shinshou. The other One for All users, you were there too. And just now, before I woke up I think I saw Nana but the memory is fragmented so I'm not really sure-" The green-haired boy pushed himself up from where he was previously laid on the bed, moving until he was in a sitting up position. His skin had returned to its normal hue, though it still had a light pink tinge to it. The scratches and cuts that had covered his arms and cheek were now gone, and his face was a bit brighter almost as if the impromptu nap that he had was much needed, which, Toshinori thought, it probably was. Though he hadn't spoken with the boy much in the past two weeks, he had noticed the bags that grew under his eyes the closer that they had gotten to the Sport's Festival. He must have been having trouble sleeping again, and though Toshinori had longed to ask about it, he kept his distance._

" _Did they interact with you?" A single brow furrowed, the other one having been partially burned off and was unable to be regrown with Chiyo's quirk as it wasn't a true injury, Izuku's lips moving rapidly without a sound. Toshinori, who was always amused when the boy did it, suppressed a laugh before rapping the boy lightly on the head in order to startle him out of it. A sheepish smile was his answer before Izuku began speaking, his brow furrowing a bit more._

" _During the match yeah, they um shocked me out of Shinshou's quirk...But I think there was another message that i had to give you, I can't remember-"_

" _A message for me?" Izuku nodded once before looking at his fingers, knotting them in the ruins of his shirt._

" _Yeah. Have you ever seen them Yagi-san?"_

" _I have once in my youth, but they never interacted with me. Nana told me about them, they're called the vestiges. Don't push yourself to remember, but when you do let me know alright? Now I believe you should get going, you slept during the rest of the matches of round two and round 3 starts soon, you'll be going first." He watched with an even brighter amusement as Izuku suddenly scrambled out of the bed, only to get yelled at by Chiyo as she came over to check on him. She gave him a new shirt that he hurriedly changed into, rushing to the door before he froze and looked back, his green eyes glazed over. "Midoriya-shounen?"_

" _She's proud of you. Nana. And that she'll always be with you." Anything else that Midoriya might have said was tuned out as Toshinori froze, a feeling of ice dropping down into his non-existent stomach. Before he could open his mouth to say something, Midoriya was already gone, rushing out of the door, Chiyo's shouts for him to not forget his shoes echoing with the wind._

"It's a good thing that he saw you there with the vestiges, Toshinori." Blue eyes glanced over at the healing heroine and he nodded once, his brows still furrowed in deep thought as he rose to his feet himself. "Don't worry so much about it." _It wasn't that he was worried about_.

"You're right Chiyo. Thank you." He gave her a small smile as he exited the room, the frown reappearing almost immediately. How had the boy been able to receive that message from Nana? What was that white light that appeared along with One For All? Toshinori never heard of One For All manifesting itself in a glowing light like that, and maybe it had something to do with Izuku's own quirk but it still was something that piqued his interest. _He would question the boy about it later-_ The sound of someone moving down the hall had Toshinori instinctively buffing up into his All Might form, just in time as someone rounded the corner. Blue eyes widened minutely before the familiar smile crossed his face as he waved. Another pair of blue eyes glared back at him, buff arms crossing themselves over the owner's chest as they neglected to wave back.

"What do you want, All Might."

"Yo, Endeavor. Can't a man just say hello?"

* * *

Izuku found himself striding down the tunnel to the arena once more, running a hand through his hair as he forced himself to contain his nervous energy. Ever since he had awoken from his impromptu nap (he seriously didn't even remember falling asleep, the last thing he remembered was Recovery Girl shaving off the other part of his parboiled eyebrow leaving him with only one, and then kissing his cheek-then nothing until he had awoken) he felt out of place, almost as if he was missing something. He didn't have time to ponder it though as he raced down the hallways, making it to the tunnel just as Present Mic announced that the match was about to begin. He didn't even know who he was facing, and wouldn't until the announcements, which incidentally, began now.

" _ **WELCOME FOLKS, TO THE FIRST MATCH OF OUR SEMI-FINALS! FROM CLASS 1-A, WE HAVE THE APPARENTLY FIERY MIDORIYA IZUKU WHO HAS WHIPPED HIS WAY THROUGH THE BATTLES! AGAINST HIM WE HAVE ANOTHER CLASS 1-A STUDENT, THE GIRL WHO SLID THROUGH, THE SENSATIONALLY PINK ASHIDO MINA!"**_ The crowd cheered as Izuku and Mina strolled out of their respective tunnels, Izuku's mind immediately running a mile an hour. He wondered if Mina's acid had a water component to it that would allow him to bend it, but he would try that some other time. His shoeless feet stepped onto the cement-covered arena, a blush covering his face as Mina glanced at his feet before snickering. He hadn't remembered to put his shoes on before he had rushed out of the infirmary, and neither Yagi-san nor Recovery Girl had said anything to him about it, that he heard anyway.

"Let's have a fun fight Midori! Show me what you got!" She pumped a pink fist at him, receiving a smile in return as he nodded firmly.

"You do the same Mina-chan, no holding back!" He got in the zone, focusing entirely on her as Midnight swung her whip into the air and cracked it down. Mina was immediately moving, skating around on her acid while simultaneously flinging it at him. Izuku spun and ducked under the acid, using blasts of air to break up globs of acid that got too close to him. He tried to shoot gusts of air at Mina, but she was moving too fast and too erratically for Izuku to have a clear shot. The pink-haired girl was giving him a wide grin as she suddenly spun and started skating in the opposite direction, slowly entrapping him a circle of acid. His eyes widened as he noticed that she had covered the rest of the platform with her acid as well, leaving the circle around him as the only clear spot and even that was slowly beginning to get covered with it as Mina got closer and closer to him. _I can't pin her down, I have no water, I'm not going to use my fire because I'm not well trained in it and I can't use...Izuku you idiot._ He raised his right foot and slammed his heel into the ground, the ring suddenly shaking as if an earthquake was occurring as Izuku used his earthbending for the first time during the one on one battles. Mina stumbled and nearly fell, catching herself on her palms and lifting herself into a handstand before flipping over, crouching on the ground. Golden irises made contact with green ones as both sets of eyes brightened, twin smirks crossing each face as Mina suddenly charged forward, somehow managing to skate in a zigzag formation so that Izuku still wouldn't be able to pin her down with a direct gust of wind. _What to do, what to do-_

A lightbulb suddenly went off in Izuku's head as he remembered the last time that Mina and Izuku had gone to get ramen. Instead of their normal group of Bakugou and Kirishima, this time it was Mina, Kaminari, Izuku, and Jirou. The events of the USJ had brought the latter three closer together, and they often texted each other both separately and in the class group chat that they had. They had been walking to the train station when they ran across a group of performers who were breakdancing, and Mina had excitedly pointed them out before running over to join them. She had forced Izuku to come with her and broke it down for him step by step. Though he hadn't tried it then, he practiced it on his own since it seemed like something that he could incorporate into his bending. Now would be the live trial.

He gave his pink friend a mischievous smirk before he dropped to the ground in a windmill, his legs continuously swinging around as he spun on his hands, letting himself rotate and feel the movement. It had taken him many tries to actually get it down, and using it actually seemed kind of fun. A whirlwind of air moved from around his feet, sending circular torrents of air all around them. Mina tried her best to dodge, only to get caught by another gust that slammed into her and sent her skidding out of bounds.

"Ashido Mina is out of bounds! Izuku Midoriya is the winner!"

"MIDORI!" Izuku rose to his feet and was immediately slammed into by a blur of pink. Mina grinned up at him, her arms wrapped around his torso as she lifted him up, ignoring his pleas to be put down. "You actually practiced it! Call me Mina-sensei cause I'm the dance teaching queen!" She dropped him after Midnight cleared her throat, giving them both an amused smile. Izuku stammered his apologies to her as Mina wrapped her hand around his wrist, dragging him in the direction of the tunnel that she came out of. "Good match Midori!"

"You too, Mina-chan. You had me on the ropes there." She waved him away, finally letting go of his wrist as she whirled around to face him again once they were far enough into the tunnel.

"I totally knew I wasn't going to win, but I didn't think you would use that move against me! You're really cool, Midori! I'll have to teach you some more moves!"

"Please do, I think it'll be really effective with my b- with my quirk! Thanks!" He gave her a genuine smile and she smiled back at him, reaching over to pat his head.

"Now all you have to do is win the Sport's Festival Midori! Come on, let's go back to the class booth so that we can watch the next match." He nodded and they turned, walking up the steps that led them to the main portion of the stands that would lead them to their booth.

"Who's up next anyway? I kinda missed every match" He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly as Mina laughed at him.

"It's Bakugou versus Tokoyami, Sleeping Beauty. Any thoughts on who's going to win?"

"I think it's going to be Kacchan, Dark Shadow doesn't like the light and Kacchan has a lot of that." They rounded the corner and climbed another set of stairs, Mina skipping forward and leading the way as they entered Class 1-A's section.

"Midoriya-kun, you're amazing!"

"Yeah, you did really great Deku-kun!"

"Outstanding job, Midoriya-kun!"

"You're so manly Mido-bro!" Izuku smiled at his classmates, shocked at all their support although he knew that he shouldn't be.

"T-t-thanks guys. It-it's not a b-big deal-"

"Don't downplay yourself, Midoriya. Give it your all." His eyes turned towards the person who spoke, meeting the only person in his class with dual eyes. His awkward smile turned into a small one as he nodded once, taking a seat next to the boy.

"You're right Todoroki-kun." Together they turned their attention towards the match that was about to commence below, Izuku's eyes focused entirely on the explosion user that he had known for most of his life. _Kacchan. What will you do when we meet?_

* * *

Bakugou Katsuki glared at the bird-headed boy directly in front of him, cracking his knuckles menacingly. He would be going against the nerd next round, and he wouldn't let Bird Brain be an obstacle on his path to proving that he was number 1. He tuned out the crowd's cheers and jeers respectively, instead focusing on the quirk in front of him. The damn Bird boy was stupider than Katsuki thought if he thought that no one was going to pick up on his quirks name. _Dark Shadow._ Hell, he basically told them the weakness right there.

"I want a nice clean fight boys!" Midnight gave him an appraising look remembering his last two fights, causing red eyes to roll. He was doing what he had to do to win, he wouldn't hold back on any of his shitty classmates.

"May the best man win, Bakugou."

"Tch."

"Start!" A feral smirk crossed Katsuki's face as he propelled himself forward with his explosions, Dark Shadow rushing up to meet him. He moved his right arm from behind him and placed it in front of himself instead, his sweaty palm sparking and then exploding, the light sending Dark Shadow shrieking back. Katsuki wasted no time pressing his advantage, letting off another explosion that disoriented both the quirk and its user before slamming into Tokoyami, moving so that he was hovering over Dark Shadow with his quirk sparking to life, his red his glittering.

"How did you know-"

"I pay attention Bird Brain, and it's obvious. Dark Shadow flinched whenever Dunce Face sparked up and it's literally in the quirks _goddamn name_. Now are you going to give up or am I going to make fried chicken?" Tokoyami glared up at him, Dark Shadow whimpering and cursing him in the same breath as Bakugou raised an eyebrow, allowing another explosion to slip past his palms as he brought it closer to the quirk.

"I yield."

"Tokoyami is unable to continue, Bakugou wins!" The ash-blonde rose to his feet, a shadow covering his eyes as he moved towards the tunnel, heading for the room he would stay in until it was time to face Deku. Even though Deku's very presence didn't irritate him now as much as it used to, he still had a bone to pick with the nerd. Katsuki had known Deku had had a quirk since they were 10, but it was a weak quirk that could literally only let him raise a pebble. He hadn't seen Deku use his quirk again until the sludge incident (something that Katsuki would die over before admitting that he needed the fucker's help), and though they hadn't been close during that time, Katsuki didn't go out of his way to actively torment the boy (most days anyway, he had his moments). He just knew that Deku was hiding how versatile his quirk really was from him to get one over on him, he was always looking down on Katsuki and had been ever since they were kids. He would make sure that the shitty nerd couldn't look down on him any longer.

* * *

Iida Tensei strolled down the street of Hosu, clad in his hero uniform. He waved at the many people who he saw on the street, smiling at them though they couldn't see it behind his helmet. He was nearing the end of his shift and had his phone out ready to dial Tenya to congratulate him on making it to the quarter-finals, though his little brother had lost Tensei was still incredibly proud of him.

"Ingenium! The Hero Killer has been spotted 3 roofs over from the corner bakery!" Tensei's hand stilled as a voice crackled over his coms, and he slid his phone into his pocket, the call immediately forgotten as he adopted his hero persona once more.

"Ingenium copies, I'm going to intercept! Send authorities to my location!"

"Ingenium, be careful"

"I will." He shut the com off so that he wouldn't be distracted and immediately engaged his quirk, the mufflers in his arms sending him flying down the street. He turned into the first alleyway he saw, knowing that this was the Hero Killer's favorite area to attack, in back alleyways where there were less likely to be witnesses. He slowed to a stop, his arms coming to rest by his sides as he looked around, his body relaxed but alert. A flash of red was his only warning before he threw himself out of the way as a knife lodged itself in the ground where he had once stood. The armored hero stood with his back to the alleyway wall, his arms coming up in front of him in a defensive position as he took in the man in front of him. The man's black hair was held back with a red bandana, a white mask covering his eyes with two slots allotted for him to see. He wore all black, and Tensei noted that some parts of his outfit were reinforced with steel. He held a sword in his hand, loosely, almost as though he was not intending to use it.

"Stain. Surrender now and I'll take you in peacefully. There doesn't have to be any more bloodshed-" Behind his helmet, Tensei's blue eyes widened as Stain cut him off, idly swinging his sword.

"Ingenium. Not a hero worthy of All Might, but also not a hero that needs to be slain. Walk away, hero and I will spare your life." The aura of danger that radiated off of Stain was almost enough to make Ingenium leave the alleyway, but a fit of righteous anger overtook him. Some of the heroes that Stain had slain had been his friends, not just as Ingenium but as Iida Tensei. The man had killed 17 heroes, and he had the _audacity_ to tell Tensei to walk away? The turbo hero was laid back, but there was only so much that he could take.

"I will not walk away, Stain!" There would only be one way that this would be resolved, Tensei knew. It would end in one of two ways, with Stain in chains or Ingenium dead. Stain's eyes narrowed as he tightened his grasp on the worn and damaged katana, a scowl crossing the red-clad man's face.

"So be it Ingenium." He readied his katana as Ingenium charged, the two clashing.

It was only minutes later that sirens filled in the air, the flashing red and blue closing in on the alleyway. Police officers and heroes alike bust into the alleyway, but they were too late and the hero killer was long gone. As they stepped into the alleyway, they froze and stared in silence, the silence being interrupted by the sudden ringing of a phone that bore a broken screen and spots of blood. The sound sent the first responders rushing into action, hurrying to the fallen hero and completely ignoring the phone that sat on the ground away from them, someone shouting for an ambulance, the sound of sirens screeching through the air.

Above them, the Hero Killer Stain looked down on them with a look of disgust before taking off once more, leaping from rooftop to rooftop in search of his next victim.

* * *

Iida Tenya was enjoying his time with his classmates. At first, he had been upset that he had lost to Ashido, he had hoped to win and make his brother proud, but his friends had immediately dissuaded him from his feelings of self-pity. Even now they continued to cheer him up, Uraraka talking about getting mochi afterward with a look of excitement on her face, Midoriya nodding along with something that Kaminari was saying- all of them whipping to look at him in alarm as his entire body suddenly vibrated.

"Iida what-"

"Do not be alarmed! It is merely my cell phone!" He turned away from his friends, not noticing their sweat drops as he noticed who was calling.

 _Okaasan_. He quickly made his way from the booth and into the hallway, answering the phone immediately.

"Tenya-"

"Okaasan, I am sorry to inform you that I did not win! I tried calling Tensei to tell him but-"

"Tenya-"

"He didn't answer the phone, I assume that he must be on pa-"

"Tenya!" His mother's voice took on an urgent tone and for the first time since the call began, Iida noted that his mother's voice sounded choked as if she had been crying. For the first time that day since his brother hadn't answered his calls, Iida's body was filled with dread. He stood stock-still as his mother spoke, his phone dropping from his hand and shattering against the ground as he stared forward with unseeing eyes. _Tensei-_

"Iida? Are you okay dude?" He turned his slowly darkening blue eyes onto his classmate, the signature tuft of black hair amongst the blonde alerting him to the fact that it was Kaminari. He nodded robotically, his heart screaming that he was a liar as he forced his voice to come out even.

"Something has come up. I must go. Please give my best wishes to Midoriya-kun." He turned away without waiting for Kaminari's confirmation, walking away while his head swam in a fog. _Tensei fought the hero killer_. His legs took him to the announcer's booth without his mind's active consent, following the path that he had studied to make sure he and his classmates knew all the optimal escape routes if something happened.

 _Tensei lost against the hero killer._ The door swung open before he could raise his arms to knock, his homeroom teacher (now free of bandages), giving him a hidden concerned look at the dead expression on his student's face.

"Aizawa-sensei, I must take leave at once. My brother-" His voice caught as his mother's voice came back to him in fragments. _Tensei...hero killer...fallen...get here...Hosu...please._ "Ingenium has been attacked by the Hero Killer." The erasure hero nodded immediately, and Iida turned around, leaving without hesitation.

**xxxXXXxxx**

Izuku sat on the floor in the waiting room, legs crossed in the lotus position. His eyes were closed as he meditated, focusing on his breath as he inhaled and exhaled. He was nervous about his upcoming fight with Kacchan and knew that he needed to anchor himself so that he didn't choke the minute that the first explosion was fired at him. This would not be the first time that he was fighting Kacchan, but for some reason, Izuku felt as though everything was staked on this one fight. He had to prove to himself that he could do it, and if that included beating his childhood friend (the one person who he had considered a figure to chase after, to grow and be like when he was younger), then so be it. He would do it to prove to himself that he was worthy of wielding both powers allotted to him. He would do it to make All Might proud.

" _Will the competitors in the Finals proceed to the arena. I repeat, may the competitors in the Finals proceed to the arena."_ Izuku's eyes slowly opened as he rose to his feet, going through one last quick stretch before striding out of the door, making his way down the steps that would lead him to the bottom tunnel. As Present Mic began his introductions once more, Izuku inhaled deeply one final time before he pushed all nervousness out and allowed determination to set in.

It was time to tell the world that he was here.


	19. Sports Festival Pt 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I'm just not sure sometimes Kacchan. It's like I'll never be on the same level as you-" His voice was a tiny bit deeper than it had been, but it was still the high pitch sound that he had always associated with Deku. Wait, Deku? Since when had-
> 
> "Then you better climb your way up to where I'm at nerd. I'm not slowing down for you, so you better try to keep up Deku." He spoke without realizing it, Deku the sad smile on Deku's face morphing into one of determination as he nodded. He opened his mouth to say something but then the chasm opened up more and Katsuki was falling, the last thing he saw being Deku leaning down, reaching a hand out towards him.
> 
> "Take my hand-" Katsuki reached up, an image of Deku hovering over him in a river, offering his hand (the same hand that he had smacked out of the way).
> 
> Katsuki reached-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Yay for snow days, that's totally the only reason why I got this chapter out so early! I hope you all are doing well. The Sports Fest arc has finally been wrapped up (it was way longer than I thought haha). I hope to have a chapter out by early next week (Monday-Tuesdayish) , life willing haha. Enough of my rambling, enjoy!

" _Kacchan, Kacchan come here I have something to show you!" A 10-year-old bright-eyed Izuku ran up to his childhood friend, ignoring the disgruntled look that the other boy gave him. He was clad in a blue All Might hoodie with black jeans and his signature red shoes. There was a bandage covering his cheek from where he had fallen the day before in the forest after Katsuki had pushed him out of his space, the green-haired boy tripping over a loose piece of wood before making an impact with the forest floor._

" _What do you want, Deku!?" Izuku didn't let the harsh tone deter him, knowing that was simply how Kacchan spoke. He concentrated with all his might, sliding into the stance that Sena had shown him yesterday and focused on a lone rock directly between him and Kacchan. He felt for the connection like Sena told him, and slowly but surely the rock rose from the ground, shaking and wobbling, but still rising._

" _See! I told you I have a quirk, I'm just a late bloomer!" He smiled in triumph, watching as red eyes held a hint of curiosity in them before they closed themselves off to Izuku once more, just like they always did. "We can be hero partners again now-"_

" _And how are you going to become a hero with a weak ass quirk like that, huh Deku?" The smile that covered Izuku's face wilted immediately as he stared at Kacchan, a frown covering his face._

" _It isn't weak Kacchan, I just have to practice-"_

" _If all you can do is levitate a rock, it's useless Deku! You won't be a hero because all you'll do is get yourself killed with that weak quirk-"_

" _IT ISN'T WEAK KACCHAN!" Izuku's chest heaved and he clenched his hands into fists, tears brimming in his eyes as he stared at Katsuki with disappointment. He had been so happy to show Kacchan his quirk, so happy to think that the boy would finally be his friend again- "I'm going to be strong one-day Kacchan, and you won't have to doubt me ever again! Not you, not Kaa-san, not anyone!" He stomped his foot on the ground, not noticing Katsuki's eyes now tracking the rock that shot up directly into the air. He gave the explosion user a watery glare before turning on his heels and running back in the direction that he had come from, leaving Katsuki standing there watching his retreating back, wondering why he felt a sense of guilt._

_For some reason, that night as he laid in bed sleeping, he dreamt. Katsuki rarely had dreams, his sleep mostly being spots of darkness before he awoke, and if he did dream then he didn't remember it. But this one- this was different._

" _Zu-kun!" He was 4 years old again, chasing after his tiny green-haired friend. The freckled boy shrieked with laughter as he stuck his tongue out at Katsuki, disappearing into the familiar thicket of bushes that laid in Katsuki's backyard. They hadn't been there in years, having been destroyed by Katsuki when he was practicing his quirk around 6 years ago. "You can't escape me!"_

" _Come and catch me Kacchan!" The laughing words floated through the air and a bright grin graced Katsuki's face as he too disappeared into the thickets, not caring about the fact that his mother had told them both to stop playing in the bushes after the last time Zu-kun had gotten caught up in the branches within. The July sun beamed overhead and a slight breeze flickered through the yard. Izuku hadn't gotten his quirk yet, but it was to be expected because he had just turned 4 a few days ago. Katsuki had been lucky enough to get his back in April, just a few days after his birthday. Pushing his way through the branches, Katsuki reached a hand out and tagged Izuku just as the yellow shirt clad boy burst out of the bushes, a pout covering his face as Katsuki climbed out after him. "Kacchan! I didn't mean to catch me right away, that's not fair!"_

" _Get faster then Zu-kun, no one told you to hide in the bushes like a silly rabbit. Now try to keep up!" He gave Izuku a wicked grin before taking off, red sneaker covered feet chasing after him immediately as he sprinted across his backyard. Above them, thick, grey clouds began to appear in the previously cloudless blue sky. Within moments, the sky had darkened and turned grey. A clap of thunder rolled across the sky, the vibrations seemingly shaking Katsuki as he ran, Izuku coming to a sudden stop behind him._

" _Kacchan." Katsuki paused immediately, whirling around to look at his friend. Izuku's voice was soft and there was a strange sadness to it that Katsuki hadn't heard before. "We're not friends, are we?"_

" _Course we are Zu-kun, what kind of stupid question is that?" Another clap of thunder roared, and this time the earth actually shook with it. A sudden crevice opened up in front of him, separating him from the other 4-year-old, pieces of dirt and grass tumbling into it. He glanced down at the newly formed chasm that had a dim orange glow, and when he looked back up again they were both suddenly older, Izuku now wearing a faded black sweatshirt and blue jeans, his hands deep into the pockets of the sweatshirt._

" _I'm just not sure sometimes Kacchan. It's like I'll never be on the same level as you-" His voice was a tiny bit deeper than it had been, but it was still the high pitch sound that he had always associated with Deku. Wait,_ _ **Deku?**_ _Since when had-_

" _Then you better climb your way up to where I'm at nerd. I'm not slowing down for you, so you better try to keep up Deku." He spoke without realizing it, the sad smile on Deku's face morphing into one of determination as he nodded. He opened his mouth to say something but then the chasm opened up more and Katsuki was falling, the last thing he saw being Deku leaning down, reaching a hand out towards him._

" _Take my hand-" Katsuki reached up, an image of Deku hovering over him in a river, offering his hand (the same hand that he had smacked out of the way)._

_Katsuki reached-_

_And woke up startled, his heart beating a mile a minute as he gasped, hand unconsciously clenching his black tank top._

* * *

Bakugou Katsuki stood on the newly repaired cement platform, cracking his knuckles as he stared across at Deku. He couldn't make out the boy's facial expression as his hair was shadowing his eyes, and he almost wondered what Deku was thinking. The sun beamed down on them both, and it made Katsuki grin as the clouds that had previously covered it fled. More sunlight meant more sweat for Katsuki.

"Are you both ready?" Red eyes glanced over at Midnight as she looked at them with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes." Deku's voice echoed from the side of him and Katsuki merely grunted his affirmation, ignoring the smirk that Midnight gave him in response.

" _ **LET THE FINAL MATCH OF THE FIRST YEAR SPORT'S FESTIVAL BEGIN!"**_ Present Mic's voice boomed as Midnight swung her whip down and the explosion user was moving immediately, his arms shooting behind him as he allowed his explosions to propel him forward. Red orbs tracked his opponent's every move, watching as the boy slid into the same stance that he had used with the extra in the first match. _Air_. An explosion sent him high above the gust of air that flew past where he had been a moment prior, another well timed explosion below him sending him hurtling down towards Deku, his right arm coming forward as he shot off another explosion directly at the boy, sending rubble flying into the air. He landed on the ground where Deku had been a moment prior, his instincts the only thing saving him as he blasted himself to the side, avoiding another gust of air as he took in Deku's new position being the spot that Katsuki had started in, the boy seemingly unharmed from Katsuki's blast.

"What, not going to use your fire Deku?" He taunted the boy, his palms sparking as he took in the light scratches that decorated Izuku's cheeks. _Not so unharmed then_. He must have scraped his face against the pavement by rolling out of the way.

"Didn't plan on it, Kacchan." The glib response had Katsuki going from a state of calm to a state of rage nearly instantly, his eyes darkening. Though he was pissed off, his tone was oddly calm as he spoke.

"Are you fucking looking down on me nerd? Don't think I can handle it? Well jokes on you, I can handle anything you throw at me, you shitty fucker!" He slammed his wrists together, palms facing forward as the skin on them changed from a light pink to a fiery orange right before two concussive blasts ripped themselves free. The resulting wind ruffled Katsuki's clothes and sent more rubble onto the arena floor. The smoke that had formed around them cleared, showing that Deku had been blasted backward, mere inches away from the boundary line, his arms crossed in an X. His hair was singed, and so were his clothes but besides that he was unscathed.

"I could never look down on you Kacchan, why do you always think that!" The tone of his voice was soft and confused, and it just pissed Katsuki off even more. How dare the fucking nerd look at him like he was the problem like the shitty nerd didn't know what he had been doing.

"Because you fucking are! You let me go on thinking you had a weak fucking quirk for _years_ and then suddenly show up out of the blue like some fucking savior with this strong ass fucking quirk. You're always trying to help everyone else at the expense of your dumbass self. Especially-" The words died on Katsuki's tongue and he instead let out another explosion, Deku using a burst of air to fly up to avoid it but Katsuki was already there, blasting himself into the air and over to Deku faster than he had previously thought he was capable of. He spun midair, his leg lashing out and slamming Deku down onto the ground. Katsuki's feet hit the floor seconds later, and he stood over the boy, his hand posed and ready for one final explosion. _Especially at the USJ_ had been what he had been about to say next, but he didn't want to dredge up those memories. Didn't want to dredge up those feelings at seeing Deku, previously weak (but not so weak anymore), pathetic (but he hadn't been pathetic for a while had he?) Deku get toasted by a Nomu while Katsuki stood there and did nothing besides restraining a walking taxi cab. " _What the hell else am I supposed to think!"_

Every inch of him was screaming for him to end the fight, and he was preparing himself to let out one last final explosion when sharp green eyes landed on him and a sudden gust of wind sent him flying back as Deku pushed himself to his feet. The look of pure rage that crossed the boy's face was something that confused Katsuki, especially since he hadn't said anything to purposefully piss him off.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" The swear startled the ash-blonde, though he would never let it show. He blasted himself into the air with an explosion to avoid another gust of wind, and then suddenly he was blowing up bits of rubble that were whizzing towards him at high speeds. He twisted and turned, blasting at whatever came his way but in his frenzy to fend off the attack, a lone shard of rock blasted through his defense and left a small cut on his cheek. A dot of blood welled up on it instantly, and though it didn't fall, that didn't matter to Katsuki. _The fucking nerd landed a hit on me-_ "I never looked down on you Kacchan, I looked up to you!"

_What-_

Katsuki wasn't given time to think, the rage filled words tumbling through the air and forcing themselves into Katsuki's ears. "You're my best friend Kacchan, or you were- I can't tell anymore! But all that time, I chased after you because you were like the sun! You were so bright Kacchan, you _are_ so bright that I couldn't stop gazing after you even though it hurt. I couldn't stop chasing you, I couldn't stop wanting to be near you even though I was getting burned by your warmth. _No matter how much it hurt, I wanted to be just as amazing as you are Kacchan!_ " The words hit Katsuki with the force of a brick, and though he wasn't aware of it, they had both come to a stop directly across from each other. Around them the audience was silent, no one knowing what was going on.

"Deku-" The nerd ignored him, his green eyes twisting and sparking with shadows, a snarl crossing his face as his chest heaved.

"But that doesn't matter anymore Kacchan. I'm not the weak little kid that I was anymore, I'm not the Deku that means _useless_ anymore! We've both changed. So don't you _dare_ count me out anymore, Bakugou Katsuki!" A silence stretched between them, and a dark grin crossed Bakugou's face. It was honestly strange, hearing Deku talk like that, hearing Deku call him by his actual name instead of by that stupid nickname from when they were kids. The fire that the nerd was showing was something that Katsuki had only seen from him once before. Explosions popped in his hands as he nodded once, showing that he acknowledged everything that Deku had said. For some reason, an image of the two popped into his head from when they were younger, back when he would spend the night and Auntie Inko would let them both play the hero that was going to save her, memories that he had thought that he had long forgotten.

" _Kacchan, we'll be hero partners forever, won't we?" They had just been successful in rescuing Auntie Inko from the dastardly villains, and Katsuki punched Izuku in the arm, ignoring the boy's mutter that it hurt._

" _Duh Zu-kun, I'll always use you as my sidekick-"_

" _Not sidekick Kacchan, partner! We're e-equal yeah that word! We're equals!" Red eyes met bright and excited green ones before the 4-year-old boy let out a long suffering sigh like he saw his mom do to his dad._

" _Fine Zu-kun, partners! And when we get bigger we'll go to U.A together and become the best hero duo ever!"_

The memory disappeared as soon as it came, Katsuki crouching down, wiping the bead of blood off his face with the back of his fist as the nerd began talking again, his voice softer this time, uncertain. "Please, Kacchan. It's always been us, hasn't it?" More memories flashed by, images of them as 10-year-olds when Katsuki switched from teasing him about his lack of quirk to teasing him about his weak quirk. To 12-year-olds when the Old Hag started making Auntie Inko come back over to their house and bringing Deku with her, the two of them reluctantly hanging out and playing video games (that Katsuki always won). To 14-year-old Deku rushing forward to save Katsuki from the slime villain when none of the heroes moved. He saw them again at 14, Katsuki knocking on the front door to their apartment and forcing his way in, telling Deku to get ready to be trashed in Mario Kart, he was 14 again and had just found out that they had both gotten into U.A, he was freshly 15, Deku knocking on his front door bringing him a limited edition and signed All Might figure that he had apparently camped out all night to get-

And then he was back in the moment, his hair shadowing his eyes as he paused for a beat before slowly speaking.

"Yeah, I guess it has been. Now shut up nerd, and try to keep up." And then he was blasting forward, ignoring the damning and bright smile that suddenly lit Deku's face up like a Christmas tree as familiar green electricity lit up around the shorter boy's body as Deku charged forward to meet him.

* * *

" _Try to keep up_." Izuku stamped down the joy that he felt and put a tight lock on it. He would allow himself to be happy later about his seeming breakthrough with Kacchan, but for now, he had a match to win. A gust of wind sent him flying up into the air, avoiding one of Kacchan's explosions, another gust sending him propelling back to the ground. He didn't want to risk fighting the explosion user in the air, that was a fight that Izuku knew he would lose. Though air was his seeming element of choice, it was one that he used out of convenience rather than comfortability. He was most comfortable with his water, a bit more comfortable than he was with his Earth, but that came with the territory of being exclusively trained by the last waterbending Avatar. He moved out of the way of another explosion only to be immediately engulfed by another, this one close enough to sear him with its heat before another blast of air sent him skidding backward. He slammed a foot onto the floor and raised his arms, holding them both out straight as he opened and closed his fists quickly, the rubble shooting forward and being backed with 5% of OFA. Izuku knew that it wouldn't be much, but it would be enough to slow Katsuki down for the moment.

He had been trying to conduct the fight without damaging too much of the arena, but he knew he would have to use every resource that he had available to himself, especially since he wouldn't use his fire (he would never forgive himself if he seriously hurt Kacchan because he wasn't practiced in that aspect of his bending), and he didn't have any access to water.

"Pay attention Deku!" Izuku let out a yelp and threw himself forward, rolling inelegantly just as Katsuki slammed into the ground where Izuku had been moments prior with enough force to crack the pavement beneath him. Had that attack landed- He shook his thoughts away, allowing full cowl to run through his body once more as he suddenly spun, turning into a green tornado and swinging his foot upward and then bringing it down in a sharp ax kick as Bakugou suddenly got close enough for him to hit. The ash-blonde boy leaned back, the kick barely missing him and he retaliated by hitting Izuku with a point-blank explosion that sent Izuku flying backward. A desperate move of his arms had a slab of the arena moving upward and Izuku slammed into it, a grunt of pain leaving his lips as his back slammed into it, and he dropped to the ground after having barely avoided going out of bounds. He forced himself to move, rolling out of the way as another explosion landed where he had been moments prior. If he tore up the arena with his bending then it would only be to his disadvantage because he would have less space to move in, but if he didn't then he was only restricted to his airbending-

Or was he?

* * *

_Izuku was in the glen, going through the motions of the newest waterbending stance that Sena had taught him. This stance was to be used to make 8 tendrils of water that would surround him like an octopus, something that would be good for when he went up against multiple opponents and needed a way to keep them all back. It would only work though, assuming that Izuku had access to enough water._

" _Sena-sensei?"_

" _Hm?" The former avatar glanced over at him, quirking one eyebrow in question though her eyes did sharpen into a glare when he stopped his movements for a moment. He muttered a quick sorry before moving again, flowing through his stances._

" _What do I do if I don't have access to water? I haven't learned air or fire yet, so what if I'm somewhere where I can't bend the earth and I don't have any water?" Sena sat up, a wistful look appearing in her eye as she spoke, her gaze staring forward almost as if she was remembering something._

" _Where there is life, there is water. And before you ask, I won't be able to show you how to do it as I am now. Come here, I want to try something." He stopped his movements instantly, the 11-year-old jogging over to her and plopping down on the grass in front of her. She leaned forward, placing her hands around his head so that her thumbs were resting on his forehead, and the rest of her hand was cupping the space above his ears._

" _Sen-" Her name died on his lips as both of their eyes obtained a white glow, and suddenly Izuku wasn't in the glen anymore, rather he was standing in a plain field. He was standing next to a girl that had on black leggings and a blue dress that came to a stop above her knee, the sleeves to the dress rolled up to her elbows. Around them, there were patches of different color flowers and the grass came up to both of their ankles, tickling the girl's bare feet. "Sena?" He whispered, feeling as though he shouldn't speak any louder._

" _I am here." The 21-year-old stepped next to him, and it was only then that he noticed the shocking similarities between the two women. The only difference that was noticeable to him was that the girl had her hair cut to her ears, and she looked younger than Sena did currently._

" _Is that-"_

" _Yes. I was 15 then. Now be quiet and watch." He followed his teacher's instructions watching as the younger version of her inhaled and exhaled once before swiping her hand through the air. She did this multiple times, Izuku not knowing what was going on, and then she swiped for a final time and held her hand up to her face, grinning at the sight of ice covering her fingertips. She swung the same hand out (which Izuku noticed was her left), the ice flying from her fingers like knives, and then she spun, Izuku watching in awe as the grass around them withered and died, water now covering the girl's arms all the way up to her elbow._

" _How-"_

" _Just watch." The scene shifted and morphed, the 15-year-old girl and the field_ _disappearing until Izuku was standing in the middle of a city street, his back to a lone tree that was planted on the sidewalk. A slightly older version of Sena sprinted past him, reaching her hand in his direction and yanking. The sound of bark creaking had Izuku whipping around and moving backward, his eyes widening as the tree suddenly withered and broke apart, water coming from where it once had been. He didn't see what happened next, the scene breaking apart until he was back in the glen, on all fours gasping for air. Sena watched him impassively, waiting for him to get himself under control._

" _I don't- what-"_

" _There is water everywhere, Izuku. Keep an open mind and be creative in how you use it."_

* * *

Mina frowned down at the fight, wondering just what exactly was going on down there. For the longest time, both Midori and Bakugou had paused and seemed to be yelling at each other. Mina wanted nothing more than to be able to hear what they were saying.

"Reckon Bakugou is telling Midoriya to just give up?" Kaminari leaned forward and glanced at her before turning his eyes back toward the match, ignoring her shrugged response.

"There's no way, Bakugou wouldn't just tell Mido to quit like that, it just isn't manly." Eiji chimed in from his seat in the second row, leaning forward until his elbow was resting on top of Sero's head. The tape quirk user leaned forward, allowing Eijiro to nearly fall into the back of his seat. "Hey, not manly bro!"

"Then keep your pointy elbows off my head-"

"It's the fated battle between men." Uraraka's solemn voice had most of their heads whipping towards her in confusion, their eyebrows going up in unison. "What? Can't you see it? This is their fated confrontation! This will decide if they're friends or not!" The boys mumbled in confusion, but Mina understood what the gravity girl was saying instantly, and in a way, she supposed that it was. There had always been some strange tension around Midoriya and Bakugou, almost as if they didn't know how to interact with each other. Bakugou would be nice in his own weird brash way one moment, and then the next he was just a raging jerk. Midori would go from being so bubbly and bright to being shy and uncertain, almost as if he didn't know what to do with himself. Mina knew that they had been childhood friends, but maybe there was a complexity to it that they didn't know.

"What do you mean Uraraka? They're definitely friends." Kirishima frowned at her, his eyes darting back to the match below. "None of you saw Bakugou at the USJ when that thing attacked Midoriya-" The mood instantly plummeted as they all remembered the image of their broken friend. "-But I did. You can't fake that type of emotion, and you wouldn't have it for someone you weren't friends with. If he asks I didn't tell you this, but he literally called him Zu-kun." Mina gasped and Uraraka gave Kirishima a disbelieving look. Kirishima opened his mouth to defend himself, but then someone else spoke up.

"It's true, I was nearby too. Bakugou cares for Midoriya, though he is awful at showing it. Maybe they're secret siblings." All eyes roved to Todoroki, the boy's face still settled in his familiar deadpan expression, though he raised a single eyebrow at them which had them swiveling back around in their seats.

"Maybe we're all right, guys. It's an uh, fated battle between rival friends!" Mina clapped her hands together and nodded once, her eyes glued to the match as both of her friends charged each other once more. Whatever was going on, she hoped that they would be able to solve it with this match.

* * *

Izuku had an arm across his ribs and blood dripping down the corner of his mouth, two of the fingers on his right hand a bruised purple. Across from him, Katsuki didn't look much better with a nasty gash on his arm from where a particularly long and sharp shard of rock had dragged itself across his bicep, and he had skid marks on his clothes from where one of Izuku's OFA laced airblasts had sent him skidding across the jagged arena. Despite their injuries, both of their eyes were alight with a wildfire. This was the most fun that Izuku had had in his life, and he never thought he would apply that to a battle. He felt lighter almost, and he was that much closer to his goal.

"You're still holding out on me Deku. Where's that fucking glowy thing that you can do?" Glowy thing- _oh_. Kacchan was referring to the Avatar State. But when had he seen-

 _The USJ._ Right. Izuku shook his head and gingerly removed his arms from his hopefully not broken ribs, sliding into a loose stance. "I don't think I should use it Kacchan, I can't really control myself in it yet." Whereas a mere 5 (or was it 10?) minutes ago, Kacchan would have asked him if he was looking down on him, now he just made a tch sound.

"Of course you're too dumb to have good control over it yet Deku, learn how to use your fucking quirk effectively. Get ready for this shit to end then." Izuku's green eyes narrowed as a playful smile crossed his face.

"I didn't say that I was out of tricks Kacchan, but yeah let's end it." Katsuki gave him a grin that set all of Izuku's danger instincts off and blasted off into the sky, higher than he had gone before. Izuku could only watch as the boy began twisting like a drill, his angry voice echoing across the arena so that even the audience could hear him.

"YOUR LITTLE TRICK BETTER HELP YOU THEN DEKU!" Viridian eyes widened as Kacchan disappeared in a whirl of smoke, little flares of explosions appearing out of it.

 _Where there is life, there is water_. Izuku felt stupid for forgetting about it, especially since he had spent weeks, if not months, obsessing over it after Sena had first shown it to him. It made sense though since he hadn't needed to use it in years. _That changes today._ Gasps and screams echoed around the stands as Izuku spun, the grass around the ring immediately turning black as Izuku was suddenly surrounded by a circle of water.

"HOWITZER-" Kacchan's voice was getting nearer, Izuku needed to move and he needed to move _now_. He would go beyond his limit, even though he knew it would hurt he would need every ounce in his arsenal for this. _One for all, Full Cowl 10%._ His body immediately protested, his muscles shaking and groaning but Izuku ignored it, pushing through the pain. He crouched down low, letting the water condense around him in a ball, his hair flying backward. He grit his teeth as red veins danced to life on his skin and he thrust his arms up the water climbing up as high as it would go. He dropped his left arm and the wall of water wavered as he attempted something that he hadn't tried before today. His right arm shook as he forced the wall to stay and he slammed his foot onto the ground, entire slabs of the ring rising. The ring staying apart didn't matter now, Izuku knew the match was going to be ended either way. He dragged his left arm over to meet with his right, locking his palms together as the slabs disappeared into the water. He inhaled as deep as he could and exhaled frost, the water freezing with the cement slabs still inside of it.

"Impromptu move, Frozen Earth Barrier!"

"IMPACT!" There was no attempt from Cementoss to stop them this time, and both of their attacks met each other head on. Midnight anchored herself onto her platform as smoke and flames filled the area once more. Izuku's frozen barrier cracked and shattered against Katsuki's assault, shards flying in every direction. As she had in Izuku and Todoroki's match, Midnight slowly made her way to the ring, standing just outside of it. As the smoke cleared, there were two figures sprawled on the ground. One had their arms encased in the cement of the arena, lying eagle spread on the ground, and the other one was unconscious and lying beside a chunk of ice that had seemingly materialized out of nowhere, blood matting the hair to the boy's forehead. She stepped into the arena and moved, coming to a stop next to the one encased in the rock.

"Bakugou, can you move?"

"Does it...does it look like I can fucking...fucking move?" Midnight leered at him before walking over to the slowly waking Izuku.

"Midoriya, can you keep going?" The boy looked blearily at her, showing no comprehension of her words as his eyes fluttered open and shut. Midnight tsked as she rose from her crouched position, swinging her flag high into the air.

"Both Bakugou and Midoriya are unable to continue, therefore I declare the match a draw!"

* * *

Katsuki wasn't sure when he had lost consciousness, but he found himself in a dream dangling off the slide of a chasm. His bloody fingertips dug into the rock, desperate to keep himself from falling, willing explosions to come to his free hand but none came. Red eyes glared up at the darkened sky as he struggled and failed to pull himself up, an oppressing heat rising up from below.

"Kacchan! Take my hand!" Deku was there, leaning over the edge, tears brimming in his eyes but never falling as he shoved his hand at Katsuki. The hand was scarred and crooked now, and while the dream Katsuki wondered what the hell happened to him, subconsciously he knew. His grip slipped again and he swore fiercely, his swears foul enough that his mother probably would have been shocked. "Kacchan!" The ledge that he was holding onto was crumbling, his fingers were slipping-

The ledge crumbled, Katsuki's fingers finally slipping off of it.

The hand reached down to him.

Katsuki took it.

* * *

Izuku stood on the podium with bandages wrapped around his torso and his head, as well as around his left arm. A bright smile covered his face as he listened to the crowd's cheer around him, and if he glanced to the side he could see Kacchan standing on another platform at the same height as his, a scowl covering the spikey-haired boy's face. Izuku knew he was mad about not outright winning, but there would be other times when they would face each other for a rematch. To his left and his right on slightly lower platforms stood Tokoyami and Mina, Mina having achieved second place due to her slightly better performance in the obstacle course while Tokoyami was in third place. Mina and Dark Shadow both flashed him a thumbs-up, and he made sure to give both of them a warm smile back.

"And giving our winners their awards is-"

" **I AM HERE WITH THE MEDALS-"**

"All Might...Oops, sorry for talking over you." Midnight gave him a sultry smile, All Might coughing as he dropped in from the sky, turning away from the woman with a bright red blush.

" **Oh um, yes of course. Eh-hem. ANYWAY! YOUNG TOKOYAMI, CONGRATULATIONS ON THIRD PLACE. YOUR STRENGTH AND DEDICATION IN THIS FESTIVAL WAS SOMETHING TO BE ADMIRED, USE THIS AS MOTIVATION TO PUSH YOURSELF TO EVEN HIGHER LEVELS!"** He leaned down, gently placing the medal over Tokoyami's head, and Izuku got a distinct impression that Tokoyami may have been blushing.

"Your words are too kind, All Might." The man enveloped his student in a hug, whispering something into his ear that Izuku didn't hear. Tokoyami nodded as All Might stepped away and moved over to Mina, the pink girl practically jumping up and down in her spot.

" **YOUNG ASHIDO! CONGRATULATIONS ON SECOND PLACE. YOUR INNOVATIVE USE OF YOUR QUIRK WILL TAKE YOU FAR DURING YOUR TIME AS A HERO!"** Like Tokoyami, he placed the medal over Mina's head, taking care not to tangle it on her horns. The girl smiled at him as he patted her head and gave her a hug as well, also mumbling something to her. Izuku watched as she nodded her head, looking even more pumped up than she had beforehand, and resolved to ask her what All Might had said later. All Might moved until he was standing next to Kacchan now, giving the boy a bright smile as he moved to put the medal over the boy's head, only to have it snatched out of his hand as Kacchan instead held it in his fist.

"I don't want this until I beat Deku once and for all and solidify myself as first place Old Man." All Might let out a loud laugh and ruffled Bakugou's hair, ignoring the way the boy snarled and cursed at him.

" **YOUNG BAKUGOU, YOUR PERSISTENCE, AND FIERCENESS IN COMBAT IS SOMETHING THAT MANY HEROES TRAIN TO HAVE AND YET YOU SEEM TO BE BORN WITH THAT NATURAL TALENT. YOU TRULY HAVE EARNED YOUR SPOT AMONG THE GREATS HERE AT U.A-"** Here All Might dropped his voice once more to say something to Kacchan and Izuku turned away, feeling as though he was intruding on something private when Kacchan's eyes darted over to him before going back to All Might, a scowl crossing his face as he crossed his arms and turned his head away. All Might gave the ash-blonde hair one more ruffle before stepping over to Izuku himself, giving his successor a look that sent warmth through his chest.

" **AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST, MIDORIYA MY BOY, CONGRATULATIONS FOR TYING IN FIRST PLACE! YOU OVERCAME MANY OBSTACLES THAT WOULD HAVE SLOWED EVEN MORE EXPERIENCED PEOPLE DOWN, AND YOU DID IT WITH A SMILE!"** Izuku leaned forward as All Might dropped the medal over his head, the giant hands adjusting it so that it sat in the center of Izuku's chest as he pulled the boy into a hug. " **I'm so very proud of you, my boy. You told the world that you were here. I am proud to have you as my successor"** All Might pulled away from the hug without waiting for Izuku's response, instinctively knowing that he wouldn't receive one as familiar tears filled the young man's eyes and instead turned towards the crowd, his hand still resting on Izuku's shoulders.

" **GIVE IT UP FOR THE WONDERFUL PARTICIPANTS IN OUR FIRST YEAR'S SPORTS FESTIVAL! NOW AS WE WRAP THIS ALL UP, WE ALL KNOW WHAT TO SAY NEXT!"**

"Plus ultra!"

" **GREAT JOB!"** A wave of silence ripped over the crowd as the audience stared at All MIght as the man rubbed his neck sheepishly as the crowd began yelling at him saying that what he said wasn't right. A bright smile crossed Izuku's face as he felt the podium begin to lower itself back towards the ground, a pink hand wrapping itself around his and Kacchan's hands as soon as they were all on equal footing.

"Bakugou, Midori! Let's go meet the others before we all head home. We should totally hang out sometime soon, not today though because I'm beat! I didn't expect to get so far-"

"Oi, Raccoon eyes, shut the hell up!"

"How rude, is that any way to talk to a lady?"

"Let me know when I'm talking to one!" At Mina's affronted gasp Izuku couldn't help but let out a loud laugh as two sets of eyes suddenly landed on him, both of them glaring. He gave both of his friends a bright grin as Mina continued dragging them forward to where they would meet up with the rest of the class.

And with that the Sport's Festival Ended.

* * *

In a darkened room a man sat on a chair, hooked up to multiple tubes. The light from the television was the only light available in the room, the caption on the screen saying 'U.A Sports Festival Concludes, a tie for first place amongst the first years'. The image of two boys came up side by side, one with red eyes and ash blonde hair, the other with green eyes and black tinted green hair.

"Midoriya Izuku." Though he could not see conventionally, one of his quirks allowed him to see with the same clarity that he had been able to do when he was alive. "So you're one of those pests that I tried to stamp out. I'll have to be more effective this time." A chilling smile crossed his face as he pressed a button on the remote, the image changing to that of a bar.

"Sensei?"

"Tomura, tell me. What did you think of U.A's first-place winners in this year's sports festival?"


	20. Internship Selections

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys hope all is well! Here's the next chapter, I'm hoping to have the next one done by Saturday, it's in the works haha. I just want to say I appreciate all the interaction with this story and I hope you guys stay safe and well!

_Izuku stood in the dark on a snowy tundra, a cold wind making his body shiver. He had never been here before, but somehow he knew on an intimate level that he was in what used to be the Northern Water Tribe. If he was remembering his geography right, then that meant he was at the North Pole. Snow drifted from the sky lazily, caressing and leaving frosty kisses against his cheeks. He didn't know why he was here, but he felt as if there was someplace he was meant to see, but where was it? There was nothing around but mounds and mounds of snow._

_Another harsh wind blew and Izuku shivered again, harder this time before he inhaled deeply, focusing on his body's temperature as he attempted to raise it with his inner fire, only for nothing to work. He glanced down at his palms, noting for the first time the green glow that encompassed his body. If he was in his spiritual form then why could he feel the temperature as if he was really there? What was going on?_

" _The answer you seek lies below." A feminine voice came from behind him, and Izuku turned, shielding his eyes as he was met with a bright silver glow. The glow dimmed until he was able to lower his green-tinted hands from his eyes, taking in the view of the spirit that was in front of him. It was a woman with hair as white as the snow around them and faded blue eyes that Izuku instinctively knew had once been bright with life. She wore a shoulderless white dress though a shawl was wrapped loosely around her arms. Her white hair was half pulled up into a ponytail and secured with a ribbon that bore the symbol of the water tribes._

" _What is it that I seek?" His lips moved without him realizing it, and he hoped dearly that he had not offended the spirit who merely gave him a kind smile. She walked up to him wordlessly and placed a hand on his forehead, his eyes fading to a white glow as the image of a green oasis in the midst of the snow appeared in his mind._

" _What is it that any of us seek, young Avatar? You have mastered the main branch of our element." Our element-Izuku sank to his knees, bowing his head as low as he was able without his forehead burying itself into the snow._

" _Lady Yue, Tui. Forgive me for not knowing-"_

" _How would you know what was not told, young Avatar? Rise, last master of our element." Izuku rose, his green eyes alight in confusion. Why had she shown him the Spirit Oasis? "Midoriya Izuku, the first and the last. You have called for me and I have come." He wanted to speak up, wanted to tell her that he didn't call for the Moon spirit, didn't know how to call for it in the first place, but the spirit began speaking once more. "You may not have verbally called for us, but your spirit guide has. You will face great trials, young Avatar. You will be the first to gain these gifts, and you will be the last. When it is time, the help that you speak shall be found below in the Spirit Oasis. When it is time, you will be brought here once more and we shall meet again."_

" _Wait I have so many questions-"_

" _There is no time young Avatar, the sun rises." Indeed above the sun was rising, painting the sky a light shade of pink. "Before you go, I carry a warning. There is trouble on your horizon, fledgling. Beware the moonless night. If you do not choose to go with the bearers of Agni's grace, then the son of speed shall perish."_

" _Wait, what does that mean-"_

" _You are bright, young one. As your predecessor is so fond of saying, figure it out." The wind blazed, the snowflakes dancing up and then Yue was gone, the ocean was rising up, and then Izuku was swept away._

* * *

Aizawa stood in front of the classroom clad in his normal black shirt and black jeans, his hair falling limply around his face as he stared out at his entirely too awake students. He ignored their inane chatter, taking the time to write out all 20 of their names on the board and a number next to them. By the time he had finished writing the last name and number, the class had silenced itself, instead choosing to watch him in anticipation as he turned around, letting out a small sigh.

"Good morning."

"Good morning!" His tired eyes glared out at them as they practically yelled the greeting back at him, only half of them having the decency to look ashamed. _Illogical kids_. He muttered before getting to the point of things.

"The Sports Festival is now over and you'll reap the benefit of your efforts. Today we'll be looking at your internship counts. I've listed you in order of those from those with the most internship offers to those with the least. You will receive a list of all those who offered for you, if you did not receive any offers don't worry we still have a list of internships you are able to choose from." He glanced at the board himself, taking in those who had received offers. Only 10 of the 20 students actually received offers, which was actually pretty good for his first-year students.

_**Midoriya Izuku- 4,367** _

_**Bakugou Katsuki- 3,807** _

_**Todoroki Shouto- 3,400** _

_**Ashido Mina- 502** _

_**Tokoyami Fumikage- 405** _

_**Iida Tenya- 300** _

_**Kirishima Eijiro- 275** _

_**Kaminari Denki- 248** _

_**Yaoyorozu Momo- 132** _

_**Uraraka Ochako- 36** _

_**Sero Hanta- 27** _

"Sensei! How did Todoroki get so many offers when he didn't make it past the second round? And how did Iida get the same?" Though no one else outright said anything in response to Mineta's question, there were a lot of mumblings that showed the class at least partially agreed with what was said.

"It's illogical but some people probably sent in those offers knowing that they're both related to pro heroes." He cast a glance at Iida, noting the steely look in his eyes. It was that look that most children got before they went and did something stupid. Aizawa filed it in the back of his head, resolving to talk to him if he felt that the dark blue-haired boy was actually going to do something stupid. "Don't let a lack of offers deter you, most pros only offer them to the 2nd and 3rd years.

"Why did Bakugou get less than Midoriya and they both tied for first?" Aizawa let out a soft sigh as the topic changed yet again, resolving not to involve himself in this one.

"Maybe it's because Midori's a ray of sunshine and face over here is a thunder cloud." Mina pointed her thumb at Bakugou, sticking out her tongue when the explosive boy whipped towards her.

"What was that Raccoon eyes? I'll kill you!" Shouta sighed heavily once more before his eyes flashed red, cutting off the explosions that had appeared in Bakugou's hands. His hair floated upward as he glared out at the class, shutting off his quirk. He would be glad once his role was over so that he could get back into his sleeping bag and go to sleep. He had been up until 5 this morning during his routine patrol due to numerous villain attacks.

"Stop making me use my quirk dammit, settle down! Now before you can go onto your hero internships you need code names which is where-"

"Which is where I come in!" The front door slid open with a bang, Midnight strolling in with her whip in her hand. Shouta let out another dry sigh wondering why the universe hated him enough to make him deal with Nemuri early in the morning.

"Midnight will help you come up with your hero names, I turn the class over to her." With that Aizawa Shouta slid into his sleeping back, zipped it all the way up, and fell asleep in the corner.

* * *

Izuku glanced at Iida, watching as the boy showed the class his whiteboard, covered in the kanji that formed his name 'Tenya.' Midnight had glanced at the boy curiously, cautioning him against it but Iida had firmly denied her, saying that until he was fit to carry the name Ingenium, he would simply go by his first name. Izuku wouldn't hesitate to admit that he was worried. He could still remember the headlines 'Pro Hero Ingenium in Coma after Attack by Hero Killer', and remembered calling Iida to check on him only for it to go to voicemail and his LINE messages to both Iida personally and the class group chats to be left on read. Even this morning when Izuku had ran into him in the rain, Iida had given him a stiff look.

" _I appreciate the concern and I know it comes from your place as both my friend and the class rep, but I will be fine. My brother is in stable condition and he will pull through. Now we should run to class before we're late." With that the poncho-covered boy took off, zooming towards the building. Izuku stared after him, his right hand above his head as he bent the water droplets into a mini umbrella to keep him from getting wet (he had left his actual umbrella at home), the look in Iida's eyes making him uncomfortable. It reminded him of something that he had seen before, and he couldn't help but think that Iida was going to do something that he would end up regretting._

He wanted to help his friend, but he didn't know how. Izuku tossed the engine quirk user one last look before turning away, watching as the rest of his classmates chose their names. Eventually, it was Izuku's turn, the boy choosing to go last to see what everyone else's names would be. He stepped up to the podium and smiled at his friends as he turned his whiteboard for everyone to see.

"My hero name is going to be Avatar Deku." The reaction was mixed, with some people (including Midnight) giving him a concerned look.

"Are you sure that's what you want your name to be?" Midnight questioned him. Izuku couldn't say that he didn't expect it, but it didn't bother him at all. He could see why it could be considered strange after all.

"Yeah, and what's the Avatar part for Midoriya?" Izuku didn't see who asked that, but he shrugged as he replied with an even brighter smile.

"Yeah, I'm sure of it. Originally Deku was meant to be an insult, for someone who was useless and couldn't do anything. Now Deku is a name that my friends call me." Here his eyes fell on both Bakugou and Uraraka. "It has a new meaning too, the Deku who can do it. Someone told me it sounds like Dekiru you know? And the Avatar part is special to me. My former- a friend used to call me that a lot since my quirk has to do with the elements. She got it from some old books and yeah-" He flushed red looking down at the end, his fingers tightening around his whiteboard at the thought of Sena before he looked up again, his eyes bright with determination. "So again, I'm Avatar Deku!"

"Alright, it's good then kid. You guys are all set for your internships then!" As Izuku took his seat, he gave one last glance towards Iida, for some reason feeling as though he was missing something important. "Now since Aizawa is asleep, take the time to go through your internship packets that I'll take the liberty of handing out for him. Class rep, come help me out. And in the case that Aizawa-san forgets to tell you, you have two days to make your choices." As quick as the feeling came, it was gone as he rose to help Midnight pass out the packets to his peers. After he finished handing out the packets, he slid down back in his own seat with his own thick packet in hand, finding himself unable to help the feeling of excitement that bubbled up in him. He was excited to pick a hero to intern under, even though he had an idea of who he was already going to choose. Despite his relative excitement, there was still a feeling that held him back, a feeling that something was going to go terribly and drastically wrong.

* * *

Later that night Izuku stood in the kitchen, helping his mother clean up after dinner. His mom had made tempura udon to warm Izuku up after the boy had come home shivering despite the warm spring air. Even though the air outside was warm, the ocean was cold and Izuku had sat waist-deep in the currents for nearly an hour, allowing himself to feel the push and pull of the waves, hoping his meditation would allow him to slip into the spirit world though it didn't work. The tv played in the background, a random show playing when suddenly the emergency broadcast sound cut through the air. Both mother and son alike turned to look at the screen, eyebrows furrowing.

"I wonder what's going on." His mother passed him a wet plate as she spoke, and he took it in his hand, wrapping a towel around it as he dried it. He opened his mouth to respond to his mother, a sharp gasp leaving his mouth instead as the plate in his hand dropped to the floor and shattered into hundreds of tiny pieces. "Izuku!" He didn't pay any attention to her, his body ramrod in shock at the words that played across the screen. _No. No no no no no._ His mother's hand on his shoulder had him jumping out of his skin, and it was followed by the sound of his phone blaring. He gently shook himself out of his mother's grip and ran to his room without hesitation, scooping his phone off his desk and answering it immediately.

"Deku-kun, are you watching the news right now?" Uraraka's voice came through the end of his cell, and he nodded before realizing that she couldn't see him.

"Y-yeah. Have you talked to him?"

"I tried, he didn't answer. What are we going to do?" Her voice was thick with unshed tears, and Izuku knew his voice was probably the same.

"I don't know, Uraraka-chan. We can only be there for him." They sat on the phone in silence for a while before Uraraka bid him goodnight and hung up the phone, leaving Izuku to move through his nightly routine in a daze. He slipped in bed and laid under his blue and red covers and closing his eyes, desperately trying to sleep with the newsreel still flashing through his mind.

_**STAIN'S LATEST VICTIM: PRO HERO INGENIUM SUCCUMBS TO INJURIES SUSTAINED IN BATTLE WITH HERO KILLER** _

* * *

Iida Tenya sat at his desk, staring resolutely at the board as he waited for homeroom to start. His hands were clasped together underneath to hide their shaking, and his normally expressive face was blank as his classmates trickled in one after the other. They threw him concerned looks and carefully avoided talking about the still ongoing news in front of him, but he wasn't paying attention to them anyway. In front of him sat the internship sheet that he had filled out the night before, circling his choice without a second thought. His mother had begged him not to, had said that she would speak to U.A so that he wouldn't have to participate.

" _Tenya please, I don't think you should go especially to-" She cut herself off, pressing a hand to her mouth to muffle her sobs, tears brimming in her eyes as she fought to get herself under control. "I can talk to U.A, I'm sure Principal Nezu would understand-"_

" _Okaasan. I appreciate the offer but it is unnecessary. It is even more imperative now that I continue my hero studies to prevent any more needless deaths."_

" _Tenya-" But he was already gone, striding down the corridor to his room, his glasses covered in a light that hid the darkening of his eyes, that hid the promise of vengeance on his brother's behalf._

"Iida-kun!" His view of the board was obstructed by two sets of uniforms, and he dragged his eyes upward coming into contact with green and brown. His friends stared at him, both of their expressions set with determination and they both held something in their hands. Almost as if they choreographed their movements, they shoved the objects at him at the same time.

"I brought you beef stew! I had extra from dinner yesterday-" Uraraka started, nearly slamming the container on the desk, almost as if she expected him to reject it.

"And I brought you a thermos of orange juice!" Midoriya gently set the thermos down next to Uraraka's container, both of them giving him uncertain looks. The small part of him that wasn't constantly being flooded by grief, apathy, and rage was touched and he gave his classmates a nod.

"Thank you both, I appreciate it but you don't need to worry about me. I will be alright. Now both of you should get to your seats, class will start any minute now." His tone lacked his normal enthusiasm, and his arms which normally accompanied his words remained under his desk. His two friends tossed him one last concerned look, Midoriya giving him a nod, Uraraka placing 4 fingers on his desk and giving him a sad smile, and then moved to take their seats (Uraraka sitting down directly behind him, Midoriya moving to the other side of the classroom to take his). A moment later, Aizawa-sensei crept into the classroom in his sleeping bag, unzipping himself and stepping out of it before calling for them to bring their internship packets up to him one by one, with Iida's row going first. One by one his row members went up and had their choices stamped with Aizawa's approval, and then it was his turn and he was striding up to the man, placing his packet down in front of him.

Dark blue eyes stared directly at the board behind his teacher even though he felt his teacher's black eyes staring into him.

"You had better offers than this, did you not?" At his sides, Iida's hands curled into fists as he answered.

"Yes, Sensei. However, I do feel that I will be a greater asset to the agency that I have selected." _Do not try to stop me Sensei. I will end up in that area one way or another._

"And the fact that it is Hosu has nothing to do with it?"

"Nothing, Sensei." For another moment, the erasure hero gave him a long and hard stare before the man finally sighed.

"There will not be any trouble from you while you are there understood? Or the punishment you receive will be most severe." The engine user nodded curtly as Aizawa stamped the paper.

"Thank you Sensei." He turned to head back to his desk, clenching his fists even tighter as he took his seat, eyes sparking with a dark fire. _I will avenge you Tensei. The Hero Killer will not live to kill anyone else._

* * *

"Midori, who did you pick for your internship?" Mina leaned across the table, pointing her chopsticks at him. They sat in their favorite ramen shop, nestled in the back where they could watch everyone pass by. Kirishima sat next to her and Todoroki sat directly across from them, next to Izuku. Kacchan had skipped today, his mother needing him home immediately to help her with something. Izuku slurped up his noodles before lowering his chopsticks to the bowl, chewing before he answered.

"It's a secret-"

"He's coming with me to Endeavor's." He ignored Izuku's betrayed look as he slurped up his cold ramen. Mina slammed her palms on the table, leaning until she was directly in Izuku's face. Besides her Kirishima sighed and grabbed her arm, tugging her back down into her seat.

"Give him some space to breathe Mina-chan."

"Midori! Why Endeavor's?" Izuku took another slurp of his ramen, closing his eyes as he pondered Mina's answer? _Why did he choose Endeavor's? There were hundreds of other fire users on his internship list. Why Endeavor?_

_An image of Todoroki appeared in his mind, both of them sitting quietly in a park close to U.A. Izuku sat on the bench in the lotus position, leaning forward with his head in the palm of his hand, resting his elbow on his leg. Todoroki sat up straight with his hands placed against his knees, staring out at the trees without seeing them._

" _Are you sure about this, Todoroki-kun? Maybe you could go to someone else-"_

" _No one is as good as Endeavor. After all, I do have his quirk." At Izuku's look, Todoroki let out a small sigh. "My quirk is similar to his." Izuku gave him a bright smile, holding a thumbs up as Todoroki continued. "There's no one who can teach me better than him, no matter how much I loathe to admit it." A silence passed between them for a moment, another breeze gliding past them and ruffling Izuku's hair. His eyebrows furrowed in thought and he suddenly sat out ramrod straight, a metaphorical lightbulb appearing over his head._

" _Then I'll come with you!" Why didn't he think about that before? It was obvious really, Izuku needed to learn how to control his fire and who better than the number 2 hero who was the literal embodiment of flame, even if he was a major asshole. It would also provide a way for him to be there for his friend, to make sure that nothing that had happened in the past would happen during this internship._

" _Midoriya, I appreciate the offer but-" The icy hot user closed his mouth as a dangerous aura emanated in the air, dual toned eyes widening as Izuku seemingly loomed over him, a dangerous and lopsided smile appearing on the freckled faced boy as he repeated his words._

" _I'm coming with you, Todoroki-kun." Shouto nodded once, his face going back to his blank look as Izuku suddenly shrank back down, reverting to his sunny self and giving him a bright smile._

" _I'm looking forward to spending the week with you, Todoroki-kun!"_

Izuku shook himself out of his thoughts and fiddled with his chopsticks.

"Well I need to get better control over my fire, and who better than the number 2 hero?" He sent a sideways glance at Todoroki-kun, only to flush and look away as he caught the boy staring at him. "But enough about me, who did you guys pick?" As Mina began to babble about her internship picks with Kirishima chiming in, Izuku sent another glance at his dual-quirked friend. While Izuku was hesitant about going with Endeavor, he couldn't deny that the man knew his stuff about fire. He only hoped he didn't end up regretting his choice.

* * *

Stain knelt over Shigaraki's body, one of his many knives buried deep into the man's shoulder. He had the ashy faced man pressed face down against the wooden floor, his quirk activated on both the mist user and his current victim. _They had the audacity to take me from my purge and tempt me into theirs when they lack the proper conviction._

"I will kill you." The man underneath him spoke and reached a hand up, disintegrating the knife that Stain held in his hands. The Hero killer leaped off the man and drew his katana, pinning Shigaraki with a fierce glare as he allowed his killing intent to rise from his body, the aura drifting over him like a red haze. "Don't you dare touch my hands."

"You lack true conviction, you lack ideals. You're nothing more than a child throwing a tantrum, and you dare to think that you stand on par with the only true hero? No one will ever be allowed to kill All Might but me." His words dripped with venom as he tightened his grip on the katana. Turning his head but never taking his eyes off of Shigaraki, he spoke to the mist user as he watched the man begin to move, showing that his quirk had worn off. "Send me back to Hosu." Wordlessly the man opened up a portal, Stain giving them both one last glare as he stepped through it, appearing on the same rooftop that he had been taken from hours earlier. Though he had already purged the city of one false hero (one that he wouldn't have targeted had the hero minded his business), there were still many others that plagued the city. He would free Hosu from their clutches, and perhaps he would even attract the one true hero and defeat him in battle.

* * *

Shigaraki Tomura sat on a bar stool as Kurogiri cleaned and wrapped his injured shoulder, silently smoldering with rage. That NPC had dared to attack him? To tell him that he was a child throwing a tantrum? It was insulting, and he would pay for that insult with his life.

"Kurogiri, contact Sensei and ask him how many Nomu he has. I think we'll have a level to clear in Hosu." Kurogiri nodded wordlessly and finished bandaging his shoulder. After ascertaining his work, he warped himself away, presumably to Sensei. Shigaraki scratched his neck furiously, a slow grin stretching across his face. This time later in the week, the only thing the news would be talking about would be the League of Villains, there would be no more mention of the Hero Killer Stain.


	21. Internships

_Lightning flashed, thunder rolling across the sky as the heavens wailed their fury and brought forth their wrath. Thick ropes of rain fell, loosened by the angels, creating thick sheets of water that slammed into the earth without remorse. Without mercy. The dry and cracked ground shifted and sighed, relieved at the fresh kiss of the liquid and becoming drunk on it, consuming too much, too fast, wailing as it was overflowed with water, turning to mud, giving way to the flood. Lightning flashed again, branches arching through the sky as the water rushed through the streets, danced in between buildings, snatching up loose items and grounded ones in the same breath. The water was reckless, it was dangerous as it laughed and snatched and stole, paying no heed to the thunder that rumbled across the sky once more in warning._

_Izuku found himself on top of a building, watching the rising floodwaters with wide eyes. He didn't know where he was, but somehow he knew that the earth had experienced a drought, a long one that had stripped the earth of its nutrients and left the creatures that roamed this particular area of it dead, their bodies decomposing and becoming one with the earth once more. Above him, lightning flashed for the third time that evening, dangerously close enough to make the hairs on his arms raise, to send shivers from the back of his neck to the base of his spine. He should move, should head inside, and get away from such a dangerous storm-_

" _How do you run from what you create?" Someone sat on the rooftop next to him, crossing their legs and joining him as he watched the raging floodwaters below. "I believe you were taught that water can both give life and take it, were you not, Young Avatar?" Izuku turned his head towards the figure sitting next to him, but it was hard for him to see with the water constantly dancing in his vision, slicking his curls down to his face enough to restrict his vision, and thus he only saw the blurry image of red. He created this storm? But how? And who was the stranger who talked to him, how did they know that he was the Avatar? He moved his hand towards his face, intending to swipe the hair away but a warm hand grasped his wrist, a very warm hand that sent shocks through his body making him feel as though he had been struck by the very lightning that crackled and roared around them, dozens of its branches stretching across the sky. It was appearing so rapidly now, a new bolt taking the place of an old one nearly every second, the light show leaving Izuku blinking spots out of his green eyes. He opened his mouth to speak but found that he could not, the person releasing their grip on his wrist and reclining against the rooftop. "It is best that my identity is concealed from you, Young Avatar. Should you see me, you would shrivel up and die." The thought bothered Izuku and a frown worked its way across his face as he suddenly realized that the hand that had grasped him was dry. With the way both of them were sitting in the downpour, both of them should be soaking but the person next to him was still dry- "So you're catching on."_

_Though Izuku could not see it, he felt the warmth of the smile that was directed at him. He wished his voice would work, he had so many questions- "Young Avatar, have you ever heard the proverb 'Lightning doesn't strike the same place twice'?" Burning golden eyes watched the storm, something hidden in those lurking depths. Upon noting Izuku's nod, the person continued. "That proverb is false, lightning absolutely will strike anywhere twice but it is an idealistic notion created to soothe people who have had something horrendous done to them. Almost like you." The thunder roared again, only this time it was not the regular roar of thunder that Izuku knew, but the roar of a Nomu. Izuku flinched and moved to surge to his feet, only to be restrained by that hand again, the hand that was now a blistering heat. Izuku was so sure if he looked down at his arm he would see flickering flames, because how could he not, but he forced himself to stare forward, green locks still covering his fearful orbs. "You will face great trials, young one. You will be pushed to your breaking point and burned to ashes. But you will rise again like a Phoenix. No matter how much it hurts, no matter how hot you burn just know that you are one of mine, child. Though your future is dim and bleak, you are strong. The strongest out of all the mortals that have ever come across my path, and I do not say that lightly." The figure paused and sighed before moving towards him, resting a still blistering hand on Izuku's cheek. The hero in training automatically relaxed at the warmth that suddenly surrounded the area that he was in, his clothes steaming themselves dry, the rain shrieking as it sizzled and died. "I will bestow upon you a gift that your predecessor found herself unable to wield, the wiliest gift that I can give you. Know this, the gift will strike out against you if you falter. Do not give it a chance to strike you down." The warm hand gently moved Izuku's hair out of his eyes and grasped his chin, turning Izuku's head toward him as another arch of lightning dotted the sky. Green made eye contact with gold, the air on the rooftop taking on a distinct orange hue, and Izuku opened his mouth to scream because surely he was burning-_

" _You will topple your enemies, young Avatar. You will be the lightning that_ _ **always**_ _strikes twice." A bolt of bright blue electricity struck the rooftop they were on, the figure (who Izuku could not identify beside them seemingly having two heads) glowing with the power of the sun and suddenly Izuku was burning, consumed by a supernova, and attacked by lightning, his voice returning to him as he screamed his body seemingly decaying and crumbling piece by piece, turning to ash. The bright light seared his eyes, the rain shrieking and seemingly falling faster in an attempt to put him out, to save him-_

_But Izuku didn't need saving. He crumpled to dust and reformed, standing naked as the day he was born in the midst of the storm, one eye a stormy blue, the other bright electric green. A roll of thunder echoed its challenge and Izuku turned towards it, face passive, lips sitting in a thin line as the thunder roared once again, lightning arching down towards Izuku with its beautiful yet deadly grace-_

_And Izuku allowed a small smirk to finally cross his face._

* * *

A roaring wall of flame separated one side of the room from the other, burning a brilliant orange as the curtain billowed and roared. Light blue eyes stared at the curtain impassively, arms crossed over his chest, a boy with a single blue eye standing next to him with his hands dangling uselessly by his sides.

"Are you sure that this is the best method? He can get burned." The voice was monotone but the concern was hidden in the eyes. The number two hero let out a grunt, eyes still hovering on the curtain of fire that surged in between them. The only reason why the room itself had not caught ablaze yet was that everything in here was fireproof, something that was a necessity when one had a quirk such as he did.

"If he cannot disperse a simple wall of fire without the use of his other elements then he's wasting my time entirely Shouto." An uncomfortable silence rose in between the two as both sets of eyes watched the fire, one impassive, one concerned, both unable to see what was going on on the other side of the fire.

To Shouto, it felt as if a lifetime had passed when literally it had only been another 5 minutes before the curtain of flame began to drop, falling lower and lower until a sweaty green-haired boy could be seen. His friend was panting, lowering his hands towards his waist as he stood in a straight position, eyes shut as he continued to move his hands until they came to a stop and the curtain of flame had disappeared. A fond look appeared in his dual-toned eyes as he watched his friend's green eyes flutter open, cheeks pink with exertion but a wide smile crossing his face as he noticed what he had accomplished.

"Hmph, pitiful. By the time you're finished here, you'll be able to do that without a thought. I refuse to have anyone that is associated with my Shouto to be weak." Shouto's eyes froze over as Endeavor spoke, turning to give the man a glare but a hand grasped his shoulder lightly.

"I look forward to learning from you, Endeavor-san." The look Izuku sent him calmed Shouto's ire just a tad before Endeavor was snapping at them to take a minute break before he put them through their paces. Shouto made a piece of ice in his hand and handed it to Midoriya, watching as the boy turned it to water, forming an orb that he slowly began to drink from, making one for Shouto as well.

"Thank you, Midoriya." The boy gave him a nod, focusing on consuming his drink before evaporating it into mist as Endeavor barked at them to hurry up and get ready. As Shouto let out a sigh, he silently found himself grateful that Midoriya had insisted on coming with him. With him here, it would at least be bearable.

* * *

The first few days of Izuku's internships passed by quickly, but he could already say that he had much better control over his fire than he had before he had come to Endeavor's agency. Training with the man was hard, probably one of the hardest things he had done in his life, and he had multiple burn scars that he had healed with his waterbending to back it. Endeavor was a strict teacher, forcing Izuku to work until he felt he would pass out from exhaustion. The first day he had learned to take control of any fire and put it out, as well as bring it into a full blaze (something that pissed Todoroki Enji off immensely when Izuku accidentally made the man's flaming mustache disappear, earning Izuku another hour of training through dinner, though Todoroki-kun had been kind enough to save him some). The second he had learned to sustain his fire for long periods as he was attacked by Endeavor, the exercise forcing him to learn how to control his flame unconsciously, and within the same day Endeavor had tried (and failed, though Izuku would continue attempting it) to teach the boy temperature control.

"Do you think that my flames are at full temperature every time I use them to capture villains?" Izuku looked at the man as he talked, forcing himself to regulate his breathing as he sank deeper into his crouch, powering the flames of multiple candles around him, forcing them to go higher and lower at will. Todoroki-kun was somewhere behind him, working on maintaining his own body temperature while using his fire, finding the balance between it and his ice.

"No, Endeavor-sensei." He grimaced as he felt one of the candles flicker, mentally reaching for the flame and coaxing it down to the same size as the other candles around it. He couldn't let one gain control, lest he find himself thrown out of the tentative balance that he had created. The fiery hero came to a stop in front of him, glaring down at him with those judging eyes of his only to tsk and look away, almost as if he was remembering something that he didn't. _(If he was remembering how Izuku's presence had made him feel small at the sports festival, something that the boy himself didn't even realize, well then, no one would ever know)._

"The key to that is temperature control. My quirk is Hell Flame, and it isn't called that for nothing. I have the ability to make my flames hot enough to instantly carbonize anything I touch. If I don't wish to kill every villain that I come across, then I must control the temperature of my fire. You will learn the same." He stared down at Izuku and the boy nodded, eyes glimmering in determination as he extinguished all the candles' flames at once, rising to his feet fluidly as Endeavor clapped once, gaining Todoroki-kun's attention. "Shouto, come here as you need to learn the same thing." His blue eyes glared down at both of them, though to Izuku it looked as though they softened slightly when they landed on Todoroki-kun before Endeavor was speaking once more.

"Both of you, increase the temperature of your bodies to the limit!" Izuku met his friend's eyes, the determination in them mirroring back as Todoroki's left side burst into flame, Izuku turning and aiming a stream of fire directly at a wall that was based on the side of them, directly reinforced for this purpose, gritting his teeth as he tried his best.

Later that night found Izuku sitting in his shared room with Todoroki, though there was enough space for him to have his own. He had been having strange visions since he got here, snatches of lightning strikes and two-headed figures, but he didn't know what any of them meant and they had appeared to him for the past two nights that he had been here without fail. Sleeping in Todoroki's room helped when he awoke in a frantic state, because without fail his roommate would be sitting there with a cup of tea, cross-legged on his own futon and giving Izuku a bland stare as he would wordlessly pass the cup to the heavily breathing teen. It was past 10 pm now, and normally Izuku would be asleep after falling bonelessly onto his futon, exhausted from the hard day training, but tonight Izuku was uncustomarily restless. For once, Todoroki-kun was sound asleep while Izuku was still up fidgeting, but he didn't know why. Maybe because it was raining? But the rain had never bothered him before, so why would it now? Maybe it was the thunder that was rolling across the sky that made him restless, sounding so similar to the thunder in his dreams-

" _You will be the lightning that_ _ **always**_ _strikes twice_." Something was plaguing him. He didn't feel right, a haze descending over his mind as something called to him. His eyes slowly slid down until they were half-lidded; and almost as though he was compelled, Izuku found himself rising to his feet, moving across the room silently as he slid the door open and silently slid it shut, not noticing the sleepy eyes that opened and watched him slip out of the room. He glided down the corridor, moving mechanically as he came to the front door and found himself opening it, stepping out into the storm. Almost immediately he was attacked by the rain, but he couldn't bring himself to care as he wandered, coming to a stop next to a tall standing tree. _You should never stand next to trees during a thunderstorm, Izu. You could get struck by lightning!_ His mother's words replayed in his head but he couldn't heed them, he needed to be here, memories that were long forgotten flashing through his mind-

_Pick a random move to learn kid from the history lessons that I've given you-_

_I want to learn how to redirect lightning Sena-san, it sounds really cool!_

_Of course you'd pick something like that, well I've never tested it out but the movements go like this-_

Branches of lightning crackled across the sky and Izuku found himself watching them, feeling attracted to the act of nature in a way that he never had been before. _I will bestow upon you a gift that your predecessor found herself unable to wield, the wiliest gift that I can give you._ The voice from his vision whispered in his ear, and he found himself unwillingly moving closer as the lightning flashed again, the sound of the thunder rolling muted to Izuku's ears as he reached for the tree, the hair on the back of his neck rising-

"Midoriya-kun. What are you doing?" The haze over Izuku's vision suddenly rose and he found himself turning towards Todoroki, confused at what was going on. _Why was he outside?_

"Todoroki-kun I-, _move!_ " Lightning flashed once more, shooting towards Todoroki who was standing there with a bewildered expression, and suddenly Izuku was there, moving through the familiar stance that he had learned so many years ago just because he wanted to, not out of necessity thinking that he would ever need it-

And then he was waking up on his futon, sunlight beginning to stream through the window as his hands clutched his blanket, his eyes snapping over to Todoroki-kun who was still soundly asleep, looking as though nothing had disturbed his slumber the night before. _What's going on?_

* * *

Iida Tenya strolled down the street in his hero costume, face stony and cold behind his helmet though his tone was polite as he greeted the people that passed by him. Many were staring, staring at the hero who bore similar armor to the one that had been slain, another victim of the Hero Killer. _The last victim of the Hero Killer_. He strode alongside Manual with a purpose, already knowing their routine as it was the fourth day of internships. He was running out of time to find the Hero Killer, running out of time to avenge his brother-

"Hey Iida, can I ask you a question?" Iida glanced at Manual before turning his eyes forward, knowing that the normal hero was unable to see his eyes anyway. He would have merely pretended that he didn't hear the question, but it went across everything that he stood for in the manner of politeness that led to him removing his helmet and fully turning towards Manual.

"What is it that you would like to ask of me?" He mentally winced as his voice came out stilted and monotone, but he couldn't force himself to care, he had much more pressing things to worry about.

"You didn't choose me because you genuinely wanted me right? I know why you're here. You want revenge against the Hero Killer, don't you?" Iida's eyes locked on Manual's growing distant and cold.

" _Tensei will be fine Tenya, the doctors say that he's in stable condition, he's just in a coma-"_

" _He's deteriorating fast, I don't know what's going on, someone get Izumi in here she has a stabilizing quirk-"_

" _Izumi's in surgery she won't be able to get here-"_

" _What happened? He was just stable-"_

" _We don't know- Hey someone get his brother out of here!"_

" _Tenya? That's your name, right? Come on they're going to help your brother the best they can-"_

" _Iida-san? I believe that you should sit down-" Millions of tears, a sea of grief, a brother not there in the physical but rather in a picture with an offering plate in front of him, incenses lit-_

"Yes, I do." Iida couldn't have lied if he tried, but he had no reason to. He was not as far gone as to insult Manual's intelligence in such a manner. A hand rested itself on his armor-covered arm, Manual giving him a warm but sad smile.

"I know what you're going through Iida-kun, really I do. Tensei...Tensei helped me learn to believe in myself too. But he wouldn't want this, he wouldn't want you to get hurt trying to avenge him. If you step in, you will be no better than the villains that we seek to detain Iida. I need you to promise me that you'll leave this up to the pros." Iida's head was swimming, brimming and brewing with anger that he wished to hiss and spit to the world. _How dare Manual tell him what his brother would have wanted? How dare he tell him-_ He gained a tight grip on his emotions as he realized he still hadn't answered and he inhaled sharply before nodding.

"Of course, Manual-Sensei." The man gave him another sad smile in response as they began their patrol again, and it was only after Iida put his helmet back on his head that he allowed the snarl of rage to take over his body. He didn't know how Bakugou did it, being so angry all the time. It was all Iida could feel these days, that and apathetic. He hadn't even cried for his brother yet, he didn't have room in his body for sadness with the exhaustion that the other two emotions were piling on him. Everything would be alright once he brought the Hero Killer to justice (whether by the heroic's standards or his own). These draining emotions would be gone, Iida would be fine again- _only he would never be fine in a world where there was no Tensei._

* * *

Endeavor strode into his office where his son and his son's friend were waiting for him, the two of them quietly conversing. Endeavor took a small moment to watch his son, noting how the boy had the smallest hint of a smile on his face, and then he glanced over at the green-haired menace that had decided to plague his agency. The boy that had beaten his Shouto. The same one that had encouraged him to use his fire again. Midoriya Izuku was an enigma to Endeavor, one that he wasn't sure he wanted to solve.

He cleared his throat loudly, watching both boy's eyes drift over to him as he folded his arms across his chest, giving them both the fiercest glare he could manage, watching as Midoriya flinched minutely before standing his ground, having the audacity to tilt his chin upwards as if he was an actual challenge _(what is a man who can only control fire to someone who could control all four elements?),_ and Enji noticed that Shouto merely rolled his eyes, giving his father a blank stare. He resisted the urge to scowl at the both of them, suddenly feeling more tired from the past four days than he had from the past 10 years.

"Both of you, suit up. We're going to Hosu." The Midoriya boy's face lit up and suddenly settled into something melancholic that Enji didn't even want to try and figure out, Shouto placing a hesitant hand on the boy's arm before glaring back at his father (defiant as always).

"What are we going to Hosu for?" Shouto's voice was icy like the other half of his quirk and Endeavor finally allowed an expression to cross his face, settling on a shark-like grin that startled both of the boys.

"There's been another Hero Killer sighting. I'm going to show you both what it means to actually be a pro."


	22. Hosu

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "You want to fight so bad? You want to do justice to the name Ingenium? Then get up!" Todoroki shouted at him, a knife cutting his face as he glanced away from the fight for a moment. Stain rushed in to get a hit but Midoriya was there, wrapping a thick whip of water around the man and swinging him high into the air, leaping into the skies after him. Todoroki turned away from them, his left side sparking with more fire as Stain sent Midoriya crashing into the ground hard enough for a plume of dust to rise. He needed to get up, he needed to move-
> 
> "He's right, you know."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, I'm back at it again with a new chapter! This one was a lil annoying to write so I'm sorry if its a lil choppy haha. On another note, please tell me someone here watches JJK? That last episode inspired me to pick up the manga bc I need more knowledge on how absolutely GOATED Gojo is haha. Anyway, onward!

_Aiko stood in the middle of a glen, pure white hair swaying in the wind. It was a place that only he knew existed, well him and- Just him. Only him. Trees rose around him and if he listened hard enough, he could hear the babble of the waterfall nearby. He hadn't been here in years, but as the war waged on and on, Aiko eventually found his way back to this place. Time had aged him, his long white hair hanging down to his shoulders as well as hovering in his face. A thin scar stretched from his once unblemished eyebrow to his hairline, disappearing amongst the white tresses. His eyes which had once been bright with life were dull now, the years having stripped him of his joy. It had been 5 years since that fateful day, the day he had found her. Every day his brother got nearer to Aiko, every day brought Aiko a day closer to having to flee his new sanctuary. He was steadily running out of space to flee to, and his brother knew that. His brother had nothing but time, something that Aiko didn't have the luxury of anymore._

_He found himself sinking onto the grass, digging his fingers into the familiar weeds that still dotted the ground, allowing himself to have a moment of peace. He was careful to stay away from the spot directly under the nearest tree. He couldn't sit there, he wouldn't sit there. His head fell backward and he angled his face towards the steadily darkening sky, the moon evident in its absence. It was fitting that the moon would be absent on the night that she came into his thoughts, not that she ever really left them in the first place._

" _So this is where you have been hiding." Violet eyes flickered up and he scrambled to his feet, hastily drawing a dagger that he kept on his person. Similar violet eyes peered into his, lips curling up into a smile. "Is that how you greet your older brother after we haven't seen each other in years, Aiko? You wound me."_

" _Cut the games." Aiko's voice was sharper than it had ever been in his life as he continued to point the dagger at his elder brother. "How did you find me and what do you want?" There had been no one in the area when Aiko had carefully made his way to the glen, but maybe there didn't have to be. Maybe his brother had acquired some new quirk, some new way of finding him- Or maybe he had been followed and just didn't realize it. There were too many what-ifs, too many questions, and he didn't have time to ponder them all._

" _What is it that any of us want, Aiko?" His elder brother strolled over to the space directly under the tree and sat down, reclining regally, smiling in bemusement as a fire burned bright in Aiko's eyes. After all the man had done, how dare he- "Put the dagger down, we both know that you aren't going to use it." He paused for a moment, sighing as Aiko didn't move from his spot. "Fine then. Cease these pathetic attempts at once and return home Aiko. If you come home with me, then I'll forgive you. We can go back to how we once were-"_

" _And you expect me to-" Aiko's voice died as a sudden cough rose in his throat, his shoulders shaking as he fought to get himself under control._

" _You're still sick then hm? How do you expect to get better when you insist on roaming around in such filth. If you come with me, you needn't roam in filth again-"_

" _I won't ever come with you, Youkai." It disgusted him that after so many years, Aiko was still in tune with his brother's emotions to the point where he noticed his brother's eyes dim minutely, indicating his ire though his facial expression stayed pleasant._

" _I don't go by that name anymore, brother. And what, no more nii-chan?"_

" _Quit the games!" Aiko roared only to freeze as his brother was suddenly standing directly next to him, a hand grasping his face._

" _I wasn't aware we were playing one." The cold voice cut through his sudden surprise and suddenly he felt a strong burning sensation, wisps of violet seeping from his body as struggled, kicking against the air as the strong palm held him aloft. What was going on, what was his brother doing- "If you wish to be ungrateful, then I will merely take my gift back."_

* * *

The fourth day of internships started off the same as the other 3 days, with Izuku rising at the same time as the sun and moving through his firebending stances, moving with a preciseness that only came from years of practice. He inhaled and exhaled, feeling the warmth of the sun beating down on him as he allowed his mind to wander, pondering what had happened two nights before. He still couldn't tell if it had happened or not, Todoroki-kun didn't bring it up, and Izuku didn't ask. The memory of the event was hazy, covered in a fog that would thicken if he tried to reach for it too hard and so he stopped trying to reach for it at all because if it did happen, what would that mean for him?

He exhaled roughly as he shifted his stance, moving fluidly through his next set, this time adding fire to the mix. At first, he had been hesitant, _what if he had accidentally burned something and didn't have access to water,_ but now that he learned how to put out a fire with a simple command (something that he could have practiced before, he had realized much to his chagrin) he wasn't as worried. Still, he forced himself to control his flame, finding it easier and easier to control the more he accessed it. He ran through his katas two more times before he came to a stop, glancing at the sky. It was nearing 8 am, which meant that Todoroki-kun would already be up and probably eating breakfast by now. Izuku bent the sweat from his forehead, flinging it into the dirt as he jogged back inside, taking a quick shower and changing into his hero costume. He swept into the kitchen, plopping down across from his dual-quirked friend and accepting the plate of fish and bowl of rice that was pushed over to him.

"Thank you, Todoroki-kun."

"Mm." The muffled acknowledgment almost made Izuku laugh as he used his chopsticks and began eating. One thing he had learned from his time with Endeavor, Todoroki-kun was not a morning person by nature. They ate their food in silence, Izuku collecting their plates and bowls, turning the water on in the sink to fill it, and adding soap before placing all of the dishes in the soapy water. He blew a curl out of his face as he leaned down and scrubbed the dishes, absently noting that his hair was getting longer. He passed the dishes to his still silent companion for him to dry, the boy lighting his hand on fire and hovering it over the dishes to evaporate the water, an exercise he did in order to get better control over his quirk. The first time Izuku had tried it, he had been immediately banned from doing it after he accidentally melted a spoon.

"Shouto, Midoriya. We leave in 10 minutes." Izuku nodded as Endeavor passed by the kitchen, not bothering to offer them a morning greeting before he was on his way again, leaving his two students alone.

"I'm nearly ready Todoroki-kun, I'll wait out here for you." Izuku turned his attention towards his costume, not paying attention as the other hero in training walked away. His costume was mostly the same as it had been when he last wore it during hero training, but it had been slightly upgraded. His red sneakers had been exchanged for black ones after it was discovered that Izuku's constant forays into mud and dirt sullied the bright red shoes instantly, and the black sneakers were modeled on something that had been called "air forces" in the pre quirk era. His baggy pants were now cargo styled with deep pockets where he could stash first aid products (which he now had filled with bandages and gauze), and his utility belt had lost the extra pockets, instead only holding two metal canteens that were welded to his belt in order to prevent him from having to remove them. The canteens were also installed with the same sensors as his shoes, and Izuku only had to move his hand in a certain way for the canteen lids to spring open which would allow him to bend water in and out. His top remained the same dark green long sleeve that he had had before, but now the insignia on it was a little different. It still held the symbol of the elements in gold stitching, but now it also had 8 tiny different color dots surrounding it, a sight that would mean nothing to most people, but one that was extremely comforting to Izuku.

He turned the kitchen faucet on once more, bending water directly into his canteens that snapped shut as he tapped the side of them once, turning the faucet off once the canteens were full. He patted his pants to make sure he had everything, noticing that his phone was still sitting on the counter where he had placed it to charge the night before. Unplugging it, he unlocked it and immediately responded to several texts from Mina, Kaminari-kun, Uraraka-chan, and Kirishima-kun. Nothing from Iida. Izuku chewed on his lip as he opened his chat with Iida and sent the boy a quick greeting, asking about how his internship was before he closed his phone and slid it into his pocket as Todoroki-kun came back into the kitchen in his own hero costume, holding a piece of black fabric that he wordlessly thrust out to Izuku.

"Your hair is too long and it's getting in your face." The green-haired boy gave his friend a bright smile as he slid the fabric over his head in a way that he had seen his mother do many times, putting the band around his neck and then pushing it up so that it pushed his bangs backward.

"Thank you, Todoroki-kun!" A red tint adorned the icy boy's face as he turned away, crossing his arms as footsteps sounded in their direction. Together they walked out of the kitchen, just as Endeavor came to a stop beside them. He gave them a wordless once over before clicking his teeth and opening the door, stepping out into the sunlight as their day of patrols began.

* * *

 _It was strange how quickly things could go wrong_. Iida mused as he sprinted down the sidewalk, scooping people up and carrying them to the evacuation zones faster than they could form a word of protest. One minute everything had been fine during his patrol with Manual, they had been ready to head back in for the day as it was now nearing 8 pm and they would switch with another agency. The first sign that something was wrong was the sudden stillness of the air. The birds around them had stopped chirping almost instantly, and only moments later the screaming started as the same creatures that attacked his class at the USJ appeared, the heroes quickly rallying to protect the innocent (something that Iida's class had been unfortunate enough not to experience). It reminded him of the way that Tensei had spiraled so quickly. One moment his brother had been as fine as he could be in a coma, and the next he was spiraling down a drain that no one could pull him back from.

"Iida! Stay close to me!" He didn't bother vocally answering him, instead giving Manual a short nod as he continued helping the evacuation efforts, skirting around the Nomu's and carrying more citizens to safety. At some point something had caught on fire, sending smoke billowing into the air, and maybe that was what attracted Iida's eye to the top of that particular building, and maybe that was what allowed him to catch the smallest hint of a red scarf jumping to the next building and then down into an alley below. Without any thought to his further actions, Iida spun on his heel and raced in the direction of where he had just spotted the object of his ire, his engines in full throttle as he sprinted deeper and deeper into Hosu, winding up in a relatively uninhabited area that was steadily darkening as the sun fell through the sky. _Tensei was found in an alley. That is where I will find the hero killer. That is where I will find my brother's murderer._ The rational side of him begged for him to walk away, begged for him to call for backup as he slowly approached the nearest alleyway entrance, but the side of him that called for blood suppressed it, feeding off of his grief, his anger.

From the mouth of the darkened alley, Iida's dark blue eyes caught a flash of red and he was moving without a second thought, leg arching out in a devastating kick that his target jumped backward to avoid, holding a raggedy katana to the side.

"This is no place for children, run along and I won't hurt you." Iida's eyes darkened and though it couldn't be seen, a sneer crossed his face.

"You won't hurt me? You already have." Iida charged forward again, swinging a roundhouse at Stain only to have it blocked by the man's forearm, the hero in training disengaging and jumping back to avoid a blow from one of Stain's various knives. He found himself hyper-focusing on them, wondering which one ended up being the one used to cause the blow that ended Tensei.

"I won't say it again. I don't tend to harm children, but I will make an exception, little hero."

"You don't know who I am, do you? I am the brother of the man that you slaughtered, the hero that you tried to snuff out but couldn't! My brother may not be alive, but Ingenium will live on!" Iida's eyes flashed and he moved again, sprinting at Stain as hard and as fast as he could without activating Recipro burst, jumping up at the last minute and spinning into a kick that was aimed directly at Stain's head. He would end it here and now.

Faster than he could follow a knife was thrown past his face, scraping his cheek and drawing a line of blood. Before he could even react, Stain was jumping over him, grabbing the knife and licking it, Iida's body dropping to the ground as his limbs seized and locked up.

_What is this? Move! What is happening to me….I have to move, I have to avenge Tensei-_

At some point Iida's helmet had come flying off his head, revealing his face, his eyes flitting around as they were the only part he could move beside his mouth. His eyes landed on the wall opposite to him and for the first time that night, he noticed another body that was slumped against the wall, broken and bleeding, feathers of a headdress pillowing on the ground. _Who-_ His train of thought abruptly disappeared as the katana that Stain was wielding earlier was driven into his lower back, cutting through his armor-like butter (something that shouldn't have been possible) and all Iida knew was agony.

"Your brother was a false hero, though I didn't mean for him to die. It seems that you are one as well. _You will be purged for your transgressions_."

* * *

The city was in chaos and Izuku was frozen, his body locked up as he stared at the creatures that prowled forward, his mind flashing back to the creature that had nearly killed him at the USJ. Though his sessions with Hound Dog helped him out a lot, it was a shock to his system to actually see the creatures in person and to see _more_ of them. A hand on his shoulder had him snapping out of his stupor, verdurous eyes meeting smoldering grey and blue ones as Todoroki gave him a slight nod, neither of them speaking a word. Izuku gave him a grateful smile and slipped from Izuku to Deku, a shaky smile crossing his face as he nodded back, Todoroki removing his hand and both of them running through the surging crowds, fighting their way back to Endeavor. The Flame Hero caught sight of them before they were able to get too close, his voice carrying over the crowd as he yelled.

"Evacuate the citizens and stay out of my way, both of you are permitted to use your quirks as you see fit!" They glanced at each other in silent communication and moved instantly, both of them splitting away from each other. One thing that Todoroki and Izuku had managed to do during the 3 days prior was communicating in near silence, something that was vital during their joint exercises versus Endeavor. _You go left, I'll go right._ Todoroki's eyes had said Izuku nodding as he held a single hand up, a green flame lighting his finger before he let it flicker three times. _In case of emergency, three plumes of flame._ Izuku split to the left, greeting people with a smile as he herded the citizens towards the evacuation zone that was cordoned off by yellow tape, the Hosu police department milling around with megaphones as they told the people to stay calm. He helped an old lady over the barrier, picking up the young girl that she had with her and handing her to her grandmother.

"You'll both be fine, the police officers will take care of you!" He gave them a soft smile before splitting off as someone called for help putting out a nearby fire. There were so many things going on at once that it was hard to keep up with, but Izuku forced himself to focus on the tasks that were placed in front of him. Green lightning surrounded him as he sprinted towards the scene of the fire, a small one that was quickly spiraling out of control.

"Hey kid, you can't be here!" A hero shouted at him as he approached him, Deku being quick to answer back.

"I'm an intern from U.A! I can put the fire out for you!" The hero gave him a nod and he inhaled, reaching out to the fire. It hissed and spit at him but he ignored it as he molded it to his will, the bright orange flames being snuffed out. He gave the hero a smile and a wave, taking off as someone else called for help getting people out of the rubble. Deku knew that his quirk would be good for rescue missions, but as he slid through his earthbending stances, sending pieces of rubble moving and stabilizing loose rocks as other interns and heroes pulled the people in need out, he realized how much he'd actually be able to help behind the scenes. A sudden explosion of heat had Izuku whipping around, staring at the area around 70 feet away from him that was billowing with flames, two screeching Nomus at the scene. One had grey wings and hovered above the area, swooping down and picking up people at random. The other one was a black nomu, nearly identical to the one that had attacked them at the USJ. Deku's eyes quickly scanned the area, noting that there were only 3 heroes against the two Nomu's, they would need help-

"Flashfire fist!" He let out a sigh he didn't know he was holding as his mentor for the week appeared on the scene, a wide smirk crossing his flaming face. He wouldn't have to worry about that area-

"Tenya! Tenya!" A man suddenly appeared in front of him (Manual, his brain supplied), eyes wide as he cupped his hands over his mouth, calling for someone named Tenya. _It couldn't be- could it?_ "You! You're a U.A student, right? Have you seen Iida Tenya? He's my intern and he's missing!" Deku's heart stuttered and stopped, the nagging feeling that he had felt when the internships first began reappearing. _Iida, what are you doing!_

"I haven't, but I'm his friend. I'll find him!" He didn't wait for Manual's response, the familiar green electricity flaring up around him and he took off, zooming towards the only part of Hosu that wasn't burning, the part that didn't need to because no one was typically there. He didn't know how he knew he needed to get there, but everything in him was screaming for him to search the abandoned backways where it would take a while for someone to be found.

" _Iida, we're friends, aren't we? If you need me, I'm here." He flashed his friend a smile, the smile dimming when he only got a cold stare in response._

" _I appreciate the offer, Midoriya." The speedster walked away with the rest of their class, leaving Izuku standing alone with Todoroki, watching his friend until he disappeared amongst the throng of people at the train station._

Izuku didn't want to push his friend and so he didn't probe the issue. Now he wished he had. _Tui, La please let me get to him in time_ he whispered, hoping to glean some sort of response but there was none, the sun completely gone now and the moon nowhere in sight. The moon-

 _Beware the moonless night_. Yue's warning came back to her and Izuku forced himself to 15% of OFA, aware of the way his body started to ache but he couldn't think about it. It all made sense now, Yue's warning, his gut feeling- all of it made sense. He needed to hurry, he needed to find his friend.

" _You will be purged for your transgressions!"_ Izuku made a sharp turn, coming to a stop at the entryway of an alley far away from the main area of Hosu. He moved without hesitation, his green wreathed body slamming into the side of a building that he immediately propelled himself off of, aiming directly at the man who was stabbing a katana into his friend's back. A sharp blast of air sent Stain skidding backward and ripped the katana out of Iida's back, the man rolling on the ground as Deku slammed into the ground directly in front of the screaming boy, pushing his arms down towards the earth and then raising them until they were above his head, a wall of earth separating them from Stain. It wouldn't last forever but it would give him time to get away with his friend.

"Iida, we have to get you out of here-" He dropped to his knees, quickly unlocking his canteen. The water rushed around his hands like a glove and he pushed them directly against Iida's wound, unable to access the full thing because of his armor, but still forcing his hands to glow and slow the wound so it wouldn't be a fatal one.

"Midoriya...this is...my fight-" A groan cut them both off and Izuku's eyes whipped to the man slumped against the wall, swearing as Stain suddenly vaulted over the wall and the situation got much more complicated. Izuku angled himself in front of Iida, dropping into a lower stance as he dropped the earth wall, the entire alleyway becoming visible to them once more. He needed to send out a signal for backup, he wouldn't be able to get Iida and Native out of there on his own, but his phone was in the lowest pocket of his cargo pants. Moving to grab it would be the death of him.

"Another one? I will give you the same ultimatum I gave Ingenium here. Get out of my way or you'll be purged." Izuku stood his ground, subtly shifting his stance in a way that would give him the optimal transition.

"I won't let you hurt them! No true hero would stand aside and watch you hurt someone else. I'm here to save you, Iida, even if it costs me everything!" Something shifted in Stain's eyes, but Deku didn't look long enough to figure out what it was as he moved, spinning and kicking a chunk of earth at Stain, the man easily slashing through it with his katana but Izuku was already moving, sending three consecutive blasts of green flame high into the air. A gust of air left his palms, pushing a knife that had flown at his face out of the way as he charged at the hero killer, using his air to blast himself off the ground and behind the man in a move that had Bakugou written all over it. Another blast of air sent him flying backward as Stain whipped towards him, slashing out with another knife (where was he getting all of these knives from!). OFA sparked around him as he rushed in, ducking under Stain's katana and landing a roundhouse to the man's ribs, sending him staggering back but barely moving him. Izuku dropped to the ground hurriedly as the swipe of another knife split the headband that had been holding his hair back, sending the mass of curls falling into his face again. It obscured his vision for only a millisecond, but it was enough for Stain to slash through Deku's green sleeve, splitting the garment along with the skin underneath it. Izuku hissed and sent out a gust of air that Stain avoided, moving to send an earthen attack at him when his body suddenly locked up and he hit the ground with a thud, his body half slumped against a wall.

"You, you're one of the selfless ones. You fight not for yourself, but for the sake of others. You are worthy and are thus spared from my purge." He fought to move, he fought to do anything but he could only move his mouth and his eyes- _His mouth._ He could inhale the air and breathe it back out _but to do so would only send the Hero Killer closer to those he needed to protect._ Tears misted his vision as he fought to move, fought to do _something_ as the man got closer and closer to his friend, making Izuku watch as the katana was plunged into his friend's shoulder, Iida's scream echoing in the alley around them. The katana was removed and poised to plunge down again, directly onto the back of Iida's neck _and Izuku was going to have to watch one of his friends be murdered by the Hero Killer_ when a burst of orange flame illuminated the alley, sending the Hero Killer flying backward, away from Iida.

"Midoriya, sorry I'm late. I had to make sure the old man knew about the signal."

* * *

Iida was drifting. His consciousness held itself by a thin thread, the boy using his pain to anchor him to the world of the living. His classmates were fighting Stain when it should be him, his friends were bleeding for him when they shouldn't be.

"What are you two doing! This is my fight!" He could only watch as Todoroki kept Stain away from him with his flame, could only watch as Midoriya eventually regained control of his limbs and rose to his feet, attacking in unison with Todoroki, both of them working like a well-oiled machine. When Todoroki would use fire, Midoriya would boost it with an air attack, granting the flames more strength. When Todoroki used his ice, Midoriya was there, converting it to water and attacking with thin whips that were frozen at the end, leaving Stain with numerous small cuts though the man was adept at dodging. But it wasn't enough. Iida could see it in the subtle way that Midoriya would falter in his arm movements, wincing as he moved his still bleeding arm. He could see it in the way that Todoroki began sweating. They were going to die for him, and he couldn't let anyone else die for him.

"You want to fight so bad? You want to do justice to the name Ingenium? Then get up!" Todoroki shouted at him, a knife cutting his face as he glanced away from the fight for a moment. Stain rushed in to get a hit but Midoriya was there, wrapping a thick whip of water around the man and swinging him high into the air, leaping into the skies after him. Todoroki turned away from them, his left side sparking with more fire as Stain sent Midoriya crashing into the ground hard enough for a plume of dust to rise. _He needed to get up, he needed to move-_

"He's right, you know." A glowing figure stepped in front of him, crouching down so that they were able to make eye contact with him. His dark blue eyes widened in shock, his lip quivering as he stared at what appeared to be a spirit, hoping he was dreaming. "Hey, Tenya."

" _Tensei_." His voice was barely a whisper and a glowing hand came to rest on his cheek. If Tenya imagined hard enough, he could almost feel his brother's familiar warmth coming from it. Tears pooled in his eyes but did not fall as his brother's spirit moved a ghostly hand through his hair, unable to ruffle it but the soft breeze that brushed past his scalp let Tenya know that he wasn't imagining things.

"Tenya. _What were you thinking?_ Did you think that I would want you to do this?"

"Tensei, I need to avenge you, you need your justice-"

"And are you that justice? _Think Tenya!_ You could be expelled from U.A for this, you could be _killed_! Mom can't handle losing you too Tenya." His brother's sharp words stung Iida's soul, his heart keening. His dead brother had come to visit him in the spirit form to berate him. How low he had fallen. "Tenya. Look at me." He forced his eyes up as far as he could go, taking in his brother's expression. He looked exactly as he had in life, only instead of being in his hero uniform, he was in a white button-up shirt and black slacks, smiling down on his little brother as he moved a ghostly hand back over the injured teen's face. "I am so incredibly proud of you Tenya. You've come so far, and you have so much farther to go. Don't throw any of it away, not for me. I want you to live a long life. I want you to become the hero that you want to be. I love you Tenya, and I would be honored if you took up my mantle and became the next Ingenium. But you can't do that if you're dead. Your friend was right, _get up Tenya_. Right now." His brother's form flickered and wavered, Tenya finding himself unable to say anything as something lodged itself in his throat. "I want you to know that I will always be with you Tenya. Now, get up and live." His brother's form disappeared, carried away by the wind, taking the sensation of Tenya's locked limbs along with it. He pushed his emotions down, now was not the time to deal with them. Another knife flew at Todoroki, one that the boy wouldn't be able to dodge but he wouldn't have to as Iida was there, taking a knife to the arm. He grit his teeth as he pulled it out, his eyes meeting Midoriya's as his engines sputtered and stalled.

"Todoroki, I need you to freeze my engines for me. Not enough to completely cover them, but enough to give me a boost. I won't let either of you bleed for me anymore." The boy did so without hesitation and Iida slid into a running stance, ignoring the sharp stab of pain that raced up from his back and spread through the rest of his body. That pain belonged to Iida Tenya, and right now he was Ingenium. He would do his brother proud. Stain was correct on his point that Iida wasn't a true hero, not yet. He would follow in his friend's footsteps and strive to become worthy, for his own sake. A sudden burst of earth from Midoriya sent Stain airbound, and Tenya moved, and unbeknownst to him, a glowing figure stood right beside him as they moved in tandem with Midoriya, an ice-covered sparking fist lancing forward from the green-haired boy as blue flames burst from Tenya's engines, his leg arching up in a kick, ice growing from the ground in an attack from Todoroki as Tenya and the spirit yelled in unison.

_RECIPRO BURST!_

* * *

Izuku staggered out of the alleyway, Iida leaning heavily on him while Todoroki dragged Stain out of the shadows and onto the main street. Kneeling down, Izuku carefully propped his friend up so that he was sitting on the sidewalk but leaning against the side of the building, a slight shift of his foot encasing Stain in a rocky prison in which only his head was freed, something that might have been unnecessary considering the fact that the man was unconscious, but Izuku wasn't taking any chances. He gave a nod to Todoroki as the boy appeared out of the alleyway with Native and placed him next to Iida, immediately creating a small patch of ice for Izuku to work with as he stood guard. Deku inhaled once and pushed past his fatigue, pushed past his own pain (besides the slowly clotting gash in his arm, his back ached and stung from where he had slammed into the earth after taking an ax kick from Stain to the chest) and turned Todoroki's ice into water, wrapping the liquid around his hands like gloves as he kneeled next to Native, focusing on him first as Iida's injuries were less severe due to Deku's mini healing session on him earlier, though he wanted to look at that shoulder as soon as possible. It took around 2 minutes of Deku partially healing the man's most serious injuries for the pro hero to wake up. Deku removed a set of bandages from his cargo pocket, wrapping the wounds that he had been unable to fully heal in order to keep them from getting infected.

"Thank you." The pro hero murmured, Deku giving him a small smile as he finished wrapping the last bandage around Native's head. The green-haired boy immediately sank back onto his legs, brushing his hair out of his sweat-covered face as he turned towards Iida who had been silent up until this point.

"You don't have to heal me, Midoriya-kun." Deku pinned him with a glare, moving over to him anyway as he called more water to him. It was only Iida's hand grabbing his that caused him to look up, a frown crossing his figures.

"Iida-kun, you're injured-"

"And I deserve to bear those injuries as a reminder of what I would have done. If it will make you feel better then please just wrap them for me. You have already done more than enough to help me tonight." A sigh left his lips as he allowed the water to drop from his palms to the pavement, removing another roll of bandages and a pack of gauze from his pocket and began administering first aid to Iida. There was so much Izuku wanted to say, but suddenly there were several pro heroes rounding the corner, one of them adorned in a familiar yellow.

"G-gran Torino? What are you doing here?" The jet quirk user gave Izuku a glare that softened as he took in his injuries.

"I was in the area, what are you doing here zygote- Get down!" A sudden screech from above sent most of them crouching down, Izuku moving to do so only to let out a shocked scream as a taloned claw wrapped itself around his midsection, taking off into the air. He forced himself to stay focused as his vision wavered, the image of another Nomu grabbing him threatening to overtake him. He didn't know where the Nomu was taking him, but it moved up in the air too quickly for Gran Torino to be able to reach him and he was being quickly carried away from his friends. He needed to get away, but he also couldn't let the Nomu go unchecked.

 _When it comes down to them or you, choose you every time._ Sena's words came floating back to him and Izuku squeezed his eyes shut as he swung an arm up, placing his palm directly against the Nomu's jaw. _I'm sorry_ , he thought, moving to send a stream of fire through his palm when suddenly the Nomu froze, wings locking as it dropped towards the ground with Stain leaping at it, driving a knife into its brain while scooping Izuku up with his free arm. _How had he escaped the earth prison-_

He dropped Izuku to the ground like a rock, the boy hissing as he landed on his injured arm, staggering to his feet as Endeavor suddenly appeared on the scene fire already lit in his palms until he noticed Izuku standing next to the hero killer frozen as the man held a knife to his side, only removing it when he saw Endeavor.

"You. You are a false hero. This society is riddled with you desperate fools corrupting this world. Heroes are a plague that shall be removed, _a plague that shall be purged! There is only one true hero, All Might, and he is the only hero I shall fall to!"_ The man took heavy steps forward, exuding a killer's intent before he froze, his noseless face frozen in a sneer. Everything moved quickly after that, the heroes snapping out of their shock and rushing to contain the Hero Killer, ambulances arriving on the scene to take them to the hospital. Izuku found himself unable to follow the proceedings, instead drifting off and allowing whatever the medics gave him to do its job as he slept.

* * *

The three teenagers (Iida, Midoriya, and Todoroki) sat in their hospital room in silence after the Chief of Police left, giving the credit for their capture of Stain to Endeavor. Izuku knew why it was done, but it still left a bitter taste in his mouth.

"I want to apologize to you two." Izuku looked up from his bandaged arm, looking at Iida with wide eyes.

"Iida you don't-"

"Yes I do, Midoriya-kun. I wanted vengeance for my brother and I almost got you both killed because of it, I almost died because of it. I just wanted- I just want to be a hero worthy of him, of my brother." Izuku could only watch in silence as Iida broke off with a gasp, tears suddenly streaming down his face as he hunched over. His friend looked so small, so unlike the normally sturdy boy that Izuku had come to know. His feet moved before his mind did and he padded over to the engine user silently, coming to a stop beside his bed and mulling over a moment of indecision before he hesitantly opened his arms and slowly wrapped them around his friend, giving him time to push Izuku away if he wasn't comfortable. He didn't expect the boy to sag into his grip, clutching Izuku's shirt as a lifeline as he finally grieved for the brother that he lost. Green eyes looked over the head of dark blue hair and came in contact with grey and blue ones, a silent communication going through their eyes.

"Iida. Let's become better heroes together." Izuku's voice echoed alongside the sounds of Iida's sobs and Iida inhaled shakily as he pulled away from Izuku, the greenette giving him a small smile. He handed the other boy a tissue and made his way back to his own bed, climbing on top of it and looking out at his two friends. They had made it through this situation, but Izuku couldn't get rid of the feeling that there was more to come.

* * *

Shigaraki Tomura sat on a barstool, glaring at the television as his hand clenched around his class with all five fingers, the juice filled cup automatically disintegrating. He ignored the liquid that spilled over the bar, his opposite hand raising and scratching his neck vehemently as he stared at the headlines, all of them talking about the Hero Killer. _Why did they ignore us? Why are they focused on him-_ The channel suddenly switched from the news to a blank screen, Sensei's voice coming through it.

"Tomura. You have failed, but do not despair. I expected you to, you're still learning, you're still growing. You have everything at my disposal to succeed Tomura, it is all for you."

"Sensei-" Adoration dripped from his voice as he was cut off, leaning forward towards the screen as though he could see the man that laid beyond.

"I need you to do one thing for me Tomura, though it is not of the essence. The next time you see the green haired boy with the glowing eyes, bring him to me."


	23. Discussions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, here's the next chapter! It's a little lackluster but hey it happens haha. Til next time!

_Izuku stood in the middle of a glen, eyes alight in confusion as he took in the sight of the faint tinge of green encircling his palms. How had he gotten here? He hadn't actively been trying to get into the spirit world, in fact, he had been resting in his bed. It was his first night home since his internships, having been released from the hospital the next day as he only had the gash on his arm and his aching back to worry about. Todoroki-kun had been released with him, both of them not allowed on patrols for the rest of the week and Endeavor had pushed them even harder than before. Iida was still in the hospital after his surgeries and he would remain there for another few days before he was released- Izuku shook his head, focusing on the matter at hand and allowing his eyes to roam, taking in his surroundings. Familiar little creatures floated by him, and if he listened hard enough he could hear the roaring of a waterfall. He was in Sena's glen. How had he gotten here? Why was the glen alive-_

" _You think too much as always, kid." His eyes snapped to the figure that spoke as he hung upside down from a tree branch, her curls brushing against the grass as she stared at him without her glasses. Her bare arms were folded over her chest, a blue cuff encircling her bicep. He took a step towards her only to stop as the ground under his feet crumbled, automatically taking a step back to where it was safe. "Yeah, don't walk over here. I'm barely holding the place together as it is."_

" _Sena-san? What, what's going on? How am I here?" Her lips set themselves into a thin line as she stared at him silently, her cold blue eyes piercing his, a blue creature the color of her eyes flying by and nuzzling his cheek before zooming off to join its other spirit friends._

" _First off, I don't know what you and your idiotic friends get up to in your spare time, but the Hero Killer? Really kid?" Izuku opened his mouth to defend himself, only to close it abruptly as Sena raised her voice minutely. "Don't answer, I don't want to know. Just don't get yourself killed out there, we're kind of out of Avatars. And I'm kind of fond of you."_

" _Wouldn't Raava do the same thing that she did with me? Go dormant until she finds someone worthy?" Sena shook her head, the sky above them darkening as a breeze suddenly kicked up, Sena glancing up at the sky with a scowl._

" _No, she wouldn't. We don't know what the hell happened, I think it has something to do with Aiko's quirk, well yours, but now we are inexplicably linked to your quirk. It's unnatural, it's corrupt and the major spirits have taken notice. You've been visited by both Tui and Agni, have you not?" Izuku nodded silently, Sena's eyes darkening as she was granted confirmation. She sank to the ground, sitting in a lotus position as she leaned against the tree, suddenly changing topics. "I can't tell you what that means, but let me tell you what I called you here for."_

" _What did you call me for, Sena-san?" He flinched back when he was pinned with that cold glare, feeling as though his bones were turning to ice._

" _When you get out of here, I want you to ask about All For One."_

" _All for One?" The name sounded strangely familiar. "Who-"For once Sena didn't pin him with a glare for interrupting, instead looking extremely tired._

" _I can't tell you fully, but ask about him, it's time you learned. And that isn't all I'm here to tell you Izuku."_

_A glowing hand on his shoulder had him looking up as Sena gave him a very kind smile, one so unlike her that it nearly made him step back as she gently enveloped him in a hug._

" _I never wanted you to suffer the way I did, kid, but the universe has different ideas. Rely on yourself first and foremost but don't forget to trust your friends. Train yourself in every ability that you have access to no matter how much it hurts, no matter how much it disgusts you to do. You have to be able to protect those that you care about. Become someone who will never need saving like I did, become the villain's monster in the closet, the name that they fear to even whisper in fear of invoking your presence. But until that time comes-" Her words died out as she abruptly disappeared, the glen crumbling along with her, and Izuku fell and fell and fell, but instead of waking up from his slumber he landed on a purple bridge in dazed confusion._

_He rose to his feet, noticing the distinct lack of green as he looked up, his breath catching in his throat as he made eye contact with what seemed to be a giant multicolor version of him with his hands held apart, almost as if something was supposed to go in between them, standing at the end of the bridge. There was someone standing in the middle of the bridge, blocking the way to the other side, but they were too far away for Izuku to make out their features._

" _So you're the ninth." The voice mused, the deeper vocals of a man reaching him across the void. "It isn't time for you to connect with whatever this is yet, but Sena wanted me to tell you this. When the day stretches the longest and Tui is at the peak of her power to call for her. She will answer." Without waiting for a response the figure turned his back to him, holding a hand up and the bridge was dissolving, and Izuku was falling back to the earth, jerking up out of his bed with a strangled gasp._

* * *

Izuku paced around Yagi-san's office, waiting for the man to come in. It was the first day of classes after his internships and the building was nearly deserted as it was still so early in the morning. He had been unable to sleep after he had awoken from the vision feeling as though he was falling. He had laid in bed trying to sleep for another 30 minutes before he called it a loss and rose to his feet, sending one text off to Yagi-San.

 _Can we meet? I need to ask you something._ Barely 5 minutes had gone by before his phone pinged, the response popping up on his screen for him to read.

 _Meet me at U.A, I have an early meeting with Nezu, we can talk before it_. Which led to him pacing in his mentor's office at nearly 6 in the morning, the sun had not even crept over the horizon yet. He couldn't get Sena's message out of his head, and why would she waste so much energy that had obviously taken her a while to build up to tell him that? He had heard about All For One before, he just couldn't place where he had heard about the man or why he was so important. The sound of the door sliding open had Izuku whipping around from where he stood in the middle of the room, his eyes catching the sight of a disheveled Yagi in an entirely too big orange pinstripe suit, holding up a bag with his customary smile on his face.

"I figured you hadn't eaten yet Midoriya-shounen, help yourself." Izuku forced himself to calm down as his mentor took a seat and moved to sit down himself, sitting directly across from the number one pro hero. He couldn't help but take in the other man's appearance, noticing how his shoulders hunched forward the smallest amounts, how his eyes looked weary. He was overworking himself again, Izuku concluded. But then again, the man always was. He was the number 1 hero after all.

"Thank you, Yagi-san." He focused on the onigiri that he had pulled from the bag, rolling it in his fingers before taking a bite, not knowing how to start what he was going to ask. His mentor observed him for a second and the green-haired boy knew the man was waiting for him to say something. _Just ask the question already, idiot!_ Sena's voice barked at him, a small smile crossing his face as he remembered all the times she would yell at him to ask his questions as he stuttered and mumbled through them. "Sensei..this is going to sound really weird but who..who is All For One?" The moment the words left his mouth he knew he had said something wrong, his eyes locking onto Yagi-san's as the man suddenly jolted as if his body had been electrocuted and froze, a grim look crossing his face.

* * *

" _Who is All For One?"_ It was as if someone had dumped a bucket of ice cold water down his back, and in the background, he could nearly hear Gran Torino giving him that disappointed stare of his and telling him that he had told him so. How could he explain to his boy that he had been deceiving him this whole time? Had been hiding the truth from him?

"Yagi-san?" The uncertain voice floating through the air startled Toshinori out of his daze, blue eyes coming to rest on the boy who had begun fidgeting with his shirt out of nervousness. A dry chuckle came out of his lips as he dropped his own eyes to the floor before pinching his nose in a way that someone who had once been close to him had habitually done. He had faced down so many villains in his lifetime, yet here he was, afraid to tell a teenager the truth.

 _And so when he finally kills you or you die from that old injury, you expect him to find out from your murderer, is that right?_ Gran Torino's voice whispered in his ears once more and he inhaled before opening his mouth to speak.

"Midoriya-shounen, I should have told you this from the beginning, and thus that is where we will start. With All For One and the creation of One For All."

* * *

He didn't know what he had expected when he had asked his question, but it certainly hadn't been _this_. Green eyes stared at blue ones, widened with horror as his mentor's words absorbed themselves into his brain. _All For One had been the man that had nearly brought down the number 1 hero. All For One is the man that killed all of the holders of One For All that had come before him and Yagi-San. All For One was supposed to be dead. All For One was still alive._ It was a lot to take in, but as he watched Yagi-san stand by the window, watching the rising sun- something seemed off to him. He had learned a lot about social cues from Sena, and something about Yagi-san's posture was...off to Izuku. As someone who had spent a lot of time around the man, he had memorized many of the man's cues and tics, and this specific one told him that he was hiding something. That there was something more Izuku needed to know. Had it been any other morning, maybe he wouldn't have pushed the issue. He would have recognized that Yagi-san needed his time and trusted the man to tell him. But this morning, he needed to know the answer to something that had been bothering him since Yagi-san had mentioned that AFO was still alive.

"There's something you aren't telling me." Maybe it was the fact that he had spoken to Sena the night before that had emboldened him, but his voice was firm and didn't waver as he set down his forgotten second piece of onigiri, instead balling his hands into the pants of his uniform. "It's something bad isn't it?" Though his mentor wasn't facing him, Izuku was watching his body language like a hawk and could tell instantly that he tensed minutely. "Yagi-san, _please._ Whatever it is, I can handle it!"

"This isn't something for you to worry about, Midoriya-shounen." The tone in Yagi's voice was rife with warning but Izuku was on a roll and ignored it completely, rising to his feet fluidly.

"Are you worried about me possibly having to fight him? Is he connected to Shigaraki? Yagi-san this is what you've been training me for, if there's possibly anyway that I can help put an end to that man then I'll help you do it!"

"Midoriya!" His predecessor's voice was sharp as the man gave him a glare that had Izuku unconsciously taking a step back before stilling in his movement. "You are not to involve yourself in anything to do with that man. When I fight him it will be me, and me alone."

"That's exactly what the past holders did, and look where that got them!" He snapped his mouth shut as he saw the look of hurt that flashed through the blue eyes before he softened his voice, hand unconsciously moving up to clutch his bunched up tie. "Yagi-san I can't lose you. I _won't_ lose you." A giant hand clamped itself onto his shoulder as All Might looked down at him, his signature smile missing.

"And you won't, Midoriya-shounen. Because you feel this way then you must understand, I cannot and will not lose you either. This is not a fight that I want you to interfere with, and I want you to promise me that you won't." They had a staring contest for a moment before Izuku caved, wrapping his arms around the man's body, burying his face into the muscular body. Thick tears clung to his lashes as his body shook and he muttered his promises through his tears before pulling away and wiping them away roughly. They both ended up seated again at some point, chatting about useless things that Izuku wasn't at all focused on, and he felt that Yagi-san wasn't focused on them either until the older man dismissed himself citing his meeting with Nezu and Izuku trudged to his homeroom, hands shoved deep into his pockets as he glared at the floor. He had made a promise.

_Sena stood in front of him with her arm outstretched, a man with snow white hair standing directly next to her, his arms unfolding themselves from where they were folded across his chest as he too reached out to Izuku, Izuku raising both of his hands to grasp theirs-_

But it would be one that he would break if he felt he had reason to.

**xxxXXXXxxxxx**

The majority of class 1-A stood in a concrete jungle (with the exception of Iida who had been suspended from participating in Heroics for the next 4 days due to his fight with Stain, per Aizawa-sensei who had explicitly, told Iida there would be consequences if he stepped out of line during his internships. Iida took the suspension humbly and was instead forced to be Hatsume's support dummy during that time), getting ready to participate in their exercise for the day, a race across the metal pipes to see who could get to All Might first. The first team lined up was Mina, Izuku, Sero, and Mineta.

"Midori! Are you okay, you've been totally out of it all day." Izuku glanced at the pink-skinned girl who tilted her head in his direction, giving her a small smile.

"I'm fine, Mina-chan. Sushi after school? You can catch me up on your internship." His best friend gave him a thumbs down and stuck her tongue out at him.

"No way Midori! You aren't getting out of our dance lessons, you can totally incorporate them into your quirk like you did during the sport's fest! We can get sushi after that though." He rubbed his neck and gave her a sheepish smile, his spirit lifting after the depressing mood he had been in earlier. He didn't know how they did it, but Mina and Uraraka always managed to cheer him up the fastest when he was feeling low, Kaminari-kun coming in directly behind them. He was lucky to have such great friends.

" **START!"** He was startled out of his thoughts as his classmates immediately took off, racing through the metal jungle to get to All Might first. Izuku was behind already, but he had a plan to catch up. It was time for him to put to use what he had learned during his last few days of the internship (having been released from the hospital early after sneaking into the bathroom and fully healing the gash on his arm). He engaged his shoes, the soles of them disappearing as he leaped into the air, orange flames suddenly bursting from his feet as he shot forward, quickly passing Mineta who had been at the back of the pack and catching up to Mina and Sero.

"Midori, no fair!" He gave Mina a grin before shooting forward faster, nearly catching up to Sero before his flames flickered and died on his left foot, making him yelp and cut the jets to the other one, using a gust of air to push himself away from the pipe he would have slammed into. OFA crackled through his body as he landed on another pipe and ran, leaping from pipe to pipe, reaching the platform All Might was on directly after Sero. _He would have to work on sustaining the output of the flames as well as the speed that they propelled him at as what he had done wasn't so much flying as it was quick bursts of propulsion. He would have to experiment more until-_

"Dude, you're muttering." Sero stood to the side giving him a smirk as he watched Mina leap off of the pipe and land with a spin, immediately smashing into Izuku.

"Midori, you're showing me how to do something like that with my acid it was so coool!" Izuku laughed as Sero cut in and mentioned that his tape slinging was cooler, only for Mina to stick her tongue out at him and compare him to a spider.

Behind them, All Might watched them with a smile, his eyes darkening as he remembered the conversation from earlier.

_Midoriya-shounen, I will do everything to protect you and your future. Even if it means that I don't get to be a part of it._

* * *

Izuku sat on the floor of Mina's bedroom, Mina directly across from him hanging upside down from her bed, the top half of her body resting on the floor. Around them spread in various positions and poses were Kaminari, Hagakure, Uraraka, and Kirishima. The group had first started out as just Mina and Izuku, the former putting the latter through metaphorical dance hell, forcing him into positions that he hadn't thought he would be able to fit into. Everyone else had popped in at some point or another after Mina had taken a picture of him and sent it to the group chat citing that he was buying sushi (something his friends eagerly took advantage of).

"Are you guys ready for final exams? I'm totally not and I have to be, I really want to go to the summer camp that Sensei was talking about!" Mina said in between pieces of her sushi. Uraraka leaned forward and swiped a gyoza that they had gotten to go with the sushi, tapping the fingers of her left hand against her cheek.

"I think so, Deku-kun are you going to help us study?" Suddenly Izuku had everyone in the room besides Kirishima clambering around him, begging him to help them study. He scooted backward from them with a laugh, his cheeks flushed as he nodded.

"Yeah! Exams are in two weeks so do you guys want to meet twice a week after school instead of our normal food sessions? Todoroki-kun also wants to study with me." Everyone chimed in their agreement except Kirishima, telling them that he had already gotten Bakugou to agree to help with studying, something that made Izuku smile. He was glad that Kacchan and Kirishima were such good friends, maybe he would mellow the explosive boy out some. "Oh! Kaminari-kun, I'm going to need your help with something!"

"Sure Midori-bro, just let me know when!" He opened his mouth to say something else when a piece of rice hit his cheek and bounced onto the floor, his eyes coming up to meet a grinning Mina's.

"That was totally Toru!"

"It was not- Ack, Kaminari!"

"I must avenge my brother in arms! Kirishima, Midoriya to me!" Izuku didn't know what had happened but a minute later pillows were flying from Mina's bed and Izuku was floating towards the ceiling after Uraraka had placed all 5 fingers on his shoulder. Laughter filled the room as war broke out between the girls and boys, both sides eventually turning on the other until everyone was piled in a heap, staring at the ceiling with heaving chests. Izuku (who had been dropped at some point and used air bending to cushion his fall) couldn't stop the full fledged smile that crossed his face as the last of his angsty feelings from earlier dissipated. He was lucky to have such amazing friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "No Midori! It's twist then pop, hit, roll!"  
> "I thought that's what I was doing!"  
> "No you're doing twist, pop then hit roll!"  
> "It's the same thing!"  
> "It totally isn't!"


End file.
